Too Much of Heaven
by DesertIsland
Summary: Christopher Murrow is a young journalist who's stopped caring about anything. One day a series of encounters culminates in the sky opening up and throwing an Angeloid at him. Chris must now work to discover the mystery of the Angeloid's origins and purpose. But the closer he gets to the truth, the more he'll wish he'd stayed in bed on that fateful day.
1. Chapter 1

**Too Much of Heaven**  
 **By DesertIsland  
**

* * *

 **Author's Note:** To begin, I would like to take a moment to thank Snarky Miracles who inspired me to actually try writing something. I would also like to graciously thank them all for taking the time to go over this story for me and giving me ideas and suggestions for improvements. I truly appreciate their efforts and time. **  
**

* * *

 **Chapter One**

It was a morning like any other for as long as he could remember. Christopher Murrow awoke from a restless sleep drenched in sweat upon a smelly old mattress on the floor of the tiny bedroom. He reached over and picked up his phone to forcefully silence the blaring alarm. Once the noise had stopped he gazed upon it with bloodshot eyes as he looked at the time and dropped his phone carelessly,

"Fuck my life." he said to himself with utter contempt.

It's been the same for him every day for the past few years, disturbed sleep plagued by nightmares of the things he'd seen in the places he'd been. He got out of bed in a hurry and made it up with military precision, pillow, blanket and sheets sorted until they looked fresh. The rest of the bedroom, no bigger than a small third world prison cell, and certainly no more cleanly, was in a state of total chaos. Some habits are just easier to break than others.

Chris wandered sleepily into his living room, it was tidier than the bedroom, but only because there was next to nothing in it. The space was cramped, with one side of the wall being the kitchen area, and the other half being a desk with a computer on it, littered with empty cans of various energy drinks. He headed over to a beat up refrigerator where he pulled an energy drink out of the fridge, popped the top, and proceeded to chug it down in one go.

"Fuck my life." he repeated to himself as he chucked the can into an overflowing trash bin surrounded by old pizza boxes and other discarded energy drinks.

Later in the shower he squeezed the last drops of his shampoo into his hand and with a long sigh he rubbed it into his wet black hair while holding the bottle under the shower to let some water into it, he plugged the hole with his finger and gave the bottle a good shake and used the soapy water to at least pretend his hair was going to be cleaner, then he lathered up what was left of his scrubber and did his best to clean up his chubby body, recent years of take out and eating on the go took a toll on him, he looked at himself with disgust as he scrubbed.

Meanwhile, his front door opened and a young lady walked in with a plate of scrambled eggs and some toast, she set the plate down on one of the only semi clean spots on the kitchen counter and took a look around the living area with a long sigh, eyes fell upon the dining table, covered in old newspapers and note pads, she went over to the table and looked it over, the various items seemed to weep for a time long past when Christopher made an effort in his work and cared about the things he was doing.

The young lady was pulled from her thoughts by the sound of Christopher clearing his throat, she looked up at him and quickly averted her gaze while turning to face the opposite wall.

"Chris! What the fuck? Cover up! Why are you walking out here naked?"

Christopher laughed at her, "If my nudity offends you, by all means, stop abusing my spare key!"

She covered her face with her palm and sighed, "I brought you some breakfast, I made too much and thought I'd share."

Christopher shrugged as he stepped into his bedroom to dress, he raised his voice to be heard by her across the apartment "What did I do to deserve this charity?"

She shrugged to herself, "You're an overgrown child and I feel sorry for you."

Chris groaned loudly "Well fuck you too!"

Sarah laughed loudly, "But seriously. I help you out because I've been in your shoes. It's not easy, so, whatever I can help with, I just want to."

Christopher finished dressing himself in some jeans and a buttoned shirt then went out to the living room and put on a pair of old worn out sneakers, he didn't even bother to untie the laces first, just slipped them on using his fingers to help his feet slip in.

"Your breakfast is getting cold numb nuts!"

Chris nodded and went over to the dish, he scooped some of the eggs up with the toast and took a bite.

She looked at his face as it cringed slightly at the first bite, "Is it too salty?"

"Yeah, now I see why you were so happy to give me your leftovers. I'm not your garbage disposal you know! If you can't eat this, why give it to me?"

Sarah glared daggers at him in response, his words were harsh, but he continued eating regardless of the salinity of the food.

"Relax, it's perfect. I love my food salty," he finally said in a reassuring tone.

Sarah simply continued to glare at him, "No wonder your blood pressure is always up..." she looked over to his garbage and saw how it was overflowing with discarded energy drink cans. "And how are you not diabetic yet after drinking all that?"

Chris chuckled to himself, "What can I say, it gives me wings?"

Sarah sighed and made for the door, "I've gotta go finish getting ready for work. I'll see you at the office later. Eat up and hurry out too or else you'll be late."

Chris laughed at her back and called out "Yes mother!"

* * *

Later that morning Christopher was walking up the street when his phone rang, "This is Chris, talk to me."

"Are you on your way yet?" he heard a feminine voice over the phone.

"Yeah boss. Though, I'm still wondering why we want an interview with this guy. MIT trolls him in scientific journals, and Caltech is looking for a way to get their diploma back from him."

Meanwhile back in the office his boss laughed into the phone, and looked up at a young, well dressed, Asian lady sitting across the desk from her flanked by two intimidating men sharply dressed in black suits and wearing dark sunglasses. "Well Chris, he's got all the right friends, in all the right places." she said before hanging up the phone.

"So, about that advertising for your father's businesses Miss Satsukitane? I didn't think any Japanese companies had any businesses in this part of the world."

The young lady smiled serenely at the editor in chief, "My father believes we should take advantage of the current economic trend for some aggressive expansion," she said in a kind tone, leaving the other woman to infer the meaning.

The Japanese girl then picked up a copy of the day's newspaper and eyed the front page with a delighted grin, the headline stated: 'Top Mafia bosses found dead'

* * *

Chris arrived at his destination on time and looked around, there wasn't much of anything there, just a pitched tent by the river and a power generator further away with barrels of fuel around it. Chris narrowed his eyes and looked to the tent, then sighed. He went over to the tent and spoke loudly to it, "Hey, I'm Christopher Murrow, from the Newspaper, we had an appointment."

A few moments later he heard a voice from inside call him inside. Once in, he saw a Japanese man with white hair holding a doll of some anime character he didn't recognize and was brushing its long golden hair with his fingers. "Greetings, I'm Eishirou Sugata, genius, and this is my assistant, Pretty."

Chris kept his outward appearance professional but inwardly cringed as he thought to himself, _"This is it, rock bottom. It can't get any worse than this."_

"So, what are you working on?" asked Chris in his professional tone.

"Look here." Sugata replied and went over to his computer, with his doll's feet, he pushed some button on the keyboard. "There appears to be some kind of anomalous hole orbiting the Earth. Scientists around the world have been working together to try and solve the mystery of its origin."

Chris nodded his head feigning interest, "I've read about it. And I've read your theories on what it could be, and the responses debunking your theories too," said Chris in a polite tone.

Sugata kept his professional tone as he responded, "They have their own hypothesis about this phenomenon, but they're all flawed because they are grounded in reality."

Chris put his finger up, "Sorry, but, science is usually the thing that explains reality. So if you're saying this thing isn't part of reality, then... I'm confused."

Sugata stepped away from his computer and over to a empty space in his tent to address his guest "As I am sure you're aware, Columbus, who discovered the new world was able to stand upon it by simply thinking outside of the box."

Chris was still lost, "Your point?"

Sugata continued, "The story illustrates that no one believes in the unreal until they see it for themselves. It's the nature of people." Sugata lifted his doll up to the light and peeked under her short skirt with one eyed closed, "It's similar to the world underneath a girl's skirt. Something truly a mystery. But I have the ability to see! I can see the keywords connecting everything! A whole, new, world!"

Chris took some notes with a bored expression on his face, "Right. Panty science. Got it. Peeking up doll's skirts aside. This is even more confusing than my dreams."

Sugata raised an inquisitive eyebrow, "Confusing dreams you say?"

Chris shrugged, "They're just dreams."

Sugata raised his index finger scholarly and spoke up, "Many intelligent people believe dreams to be electrical signals your brain sends out when processing memories. In other words, your desires for your memories become your dreams during your sleep." Sugata walked back over to his computer, "But that's nothing more than a hypothesis grounded in reality. You can't explain the unreal using real terms. Tell me what happens in your dreams."

Chris glared at him with confusion, "Don't you think that's a little personal?"

Sugata shrugged, "You brought it up."

Chris sighed to himself, "Touche. But it's still none of your business."

Sugata adjusted his glasses "Many people have been reporting strange dreams since the hole's first appearance. I am certain yours are among them! Your dreams are connected with this mysterious hole. I'm sure of it!"

Chris shook his head, "Truth is subjective. People only see the truth they want to see, that's also the nature of people you know."

Sugata smirked, "The reason I'm here is because the hole seems to have stopped directly over this city. I'm investigating it now. Have faith in me and I will unlock this mystery! I'm sending you GPS co-ordinates, meet me there tonight at midnight and you'll have all your answers!"

Chris face palmed, "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

* * *

Back at the office Chris sat at his desk typing up what little he had managed to get on the scientists he was sent out to speak to. His colleague Sarah looking over his shoulder as he furiously typed with an angry scowl on his face.

"Someone's in a bad mood..."

"You would be too!" he snapped.

"Alright... Take a deep breath, and tell me what happened."

"He's gone off the deep end. He doesn't take anything he does seriously. He has a little girly doll as an assistant and he peeks up its skirt..."

Sarah started laughing uncontrollably. "Isn't that what you love about this work though? Is there ever a dull moment? Ever something really boring? You used to have such passion for this job, what happened to you?"

"I'm not in the mood to be analyzed. Don't you have work to do? I have to turn this screwball into a one thousand word story and I have an hour left to do it. I'd appreciate being left to focus," said Chris and then he picked up his open energy drink can and started chugging it.

"Fine... But you really need to cut back on that junk. It's going to kill you. Have you seen your gut recently?"

"Sarah... The amount of patience I have for a person is directly proportional to how attractive they are. Because you have that baby face and epic fun bags, I'll let you go with just a warning. But your assets won't help you if you keep pushing my buttons."

"That's sexual harassment you know!"

"Damn it woman! I don't care! Leave me to my work!"

"And what about me Chris? How much patience do my attributes win me?" came a new voice from behind them.

Chris turned around and saw his boss standing over them with her arms folded and a scolding glare in her eyes.

"My patience for you my lady, is as infinite as your beauty."

"I'm not sure if that's a compliment I really appreciate. If I could afford to fire the two of you, I would, but I can't. So get back to work!"

"You can't fire me because I'm just as much eye candy to you as you are to me boss," said Chris with a disinterested tone of voice as he turned back to his computer.

"Be careful Chris, you're not nearly as attractive as you seem to think you are."

"Then why do you still keep me around?"

"It used to be because you were the best at what you do. But now I'm starting to wonder..." she said dismissively while walking away.

Sarah sat down at her desk and huffed in annoyance. A young man sitting beside her tapped her shoulder and asked her a question in a hushed voice, "Hey. Why do you put up with that guy?"

Sarah tapped her chin in deep thought for a moment while composing her response, "He's an asshole sometimes. But he's a good man."

"What about the boss? Why does she take his shit? Do they have some kind of history or something?"

"They do. And it's none of your business. You're doing sports, not gossip," she answered in low but harsh tone.

* * *

Chris sat on a patch of grass in an open field beside his old motorbike reading a message on his phone,

'Will be late. Something came up. -Sugata.'

Chris sighed and looked up into the sky. "What am I even doing here?" he asked himself.

Chris looked out at the landscape, the city in the distance bathed the grassy valley in light, the pattern of the light almost seemed as if the city were being reflected upon the grass as if it were water. Chris felt a nostalgic tug pull him over to his backpack on the bike, he reached in and pulled out a camera. "Can't remember the last time I took photos for fun."

Chris walked around the field taking snaps of various things and looking for the perfect place to capture the whole scene when his phone started to ring. "This is Chris, talk to me."

"Get out of there!" came Sugata's voice on the phone.

"What?" asked Chris nervously when he registered the urgency in Sugata's voice.

"I've been going over the data. The hole's-"

The signal cut out and Chris couldn't understand the rest of what he said. With his hand shaking he looked up into the sky and there he saw the massive black hole in the sky. He took a deep breath and pointed his camera up at it, he held down the shutter release letting the camera snap images of what he saw. Through the viewfinder he saw a stream of light come out of hole which was on course to slam directly into him.

For a moment, he was frozen in a panic, but on instinct his feet started moving, running, desperate for a secure location. Suddenly he was thrown into the air by the force of an explosion and flung across the field, by reflex he put his arms out and allowed himself to roll once he hit the ground, minimizing the damage of the impact, he rolled until he was standing on his feet and took a look around to assess his situation. He felt something drip down his forehead and into his eye, the sting was much worse than that of sweat getting into his eye, he touched his forehead and looked at his fingers, blood. He couldn't feel any pain, but that didn't mean anything. _"Priorities. Threat assessment,"_ he thought to himself.

Chris looked around and then up into the sky, the danger seemed to have passed for the moment. He looked and saw his camera was still intact, against his own better judgment and experience he decided to go back to where the explosion happened to get a few shots, if it was something interesting, it could go in the paper and the evening wouldn't be a complete waste. He also considered that if he was lucky enough he might get blown to smithereens and get some proper sleep for a change.

As he approached the site of the explosion, he saw a reasonably deep crater, the dust still hadn't cleared, he held his camera at the ready to get a few shots of whatever was left inside of it, to his shock, he saw the face of a young woman inside of it, her eyes were closed, she was unconscious sprawled out on the floor of the crater, her hair was a rusty sort of red with some black thrown in, and as the dust fully cleared, he saw feathery wings.

"Wings?!" Chris shouted to himself as he slid himself down into the crater to try and carry her out as he lifted her up he quickly noticed the wings attached her back were really attached, there weren't part of some costume. The ground beneath his feet shook suddenly and he felt something hit the ground behind him, he looked back and saw what appeared to be a stone column hit the ground, he looked up and saw more coming down from the hole in the sky.

Chris was frozen in terror for a moment when his feet once again started to walk of their own volition, he slung the girl over his shoulder and listened as the sounds of the stone falling from the sky echoed around him.

"This isn't happening, this can't be happening!" Chris shouted to himself before something came into his mind, "There was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven." he spoke as he remembered the passage and looked up again at the hole as he struggled to carry the girl across the grassy valley with stone columns raining down around him. "God! If you can hear me up in that hole, send me straight to hell because I'd rather be damned for all eternity than share space with your stupid followers!"

As if the heavens had heard his request and were keen to grant his desire, the next column to fall from the hole was coming down right on top of their heads. Chris shut his eyes, he knew he wouldn't be able to run fast enough to get away but he still tried anyway, for whatever it was worth. Suddenly he felt his feet come up off the ground, and his body felt as if he were moving at a great speed, as he took inventory of himself, he felt like he was being held in two strong arms. He opened his eyes and looked down to see that he was now high above the ground and the chaos was all beneath him. He then looked over his shoulders, his gaze was met by a pair of emerald eyes, he was completely frozen. "Begin imprinting process." she said.

His eyes were then drawn to her choker, specifically, the chain attached to the front which seemed to be glowing and getting longer, his eyes followed the chain until it wrapped itself around his right hand, he looked at it in shock, still completely speechless from the whole ordeal.

The Angel carried them both to safety and then set Chris down on his feet and landed herself behind him, the man's eyes were set upon the chain which wasn't falling off, he closed his fist around it and felt the metal there, it was very real and he couldn't get his hand out of it. When he finally turned around and looked at the Angel she was kneeling before him, he widened his eyes and he himself fell to his knees from the exhaustion.

The Angel then began to address him; "It is a pleasure to meet you. I am a pet class Angeloid. My purpose is to fulfill your every want and desire. You are my master."

Christopher's mind couldn't handle it anymore and shut down completely, the rest of his body gave out as well and he fell to the floor unconscious.

* * *

" _Please take good care of her for me," he heard as the sky pulled her back into itself._

Christopher awoke the next morning in his mattress on the floor of his bedroom to be greeted by a sharp stinging pain in his head. He reached up to touch his forehead and felt a bandage there, he also felt something in his hand, he looked at it and saw chains around his hand, he tried to pull them off but they were stuck in place by some unknown force, his eyes followed the chain links back to their source where he was greeted by the emerald eyes of an Angel.

"Good morning. Master," she said to him in a low monotonous voice.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Christopher was pacing back and forth in his living room at a rapid pace with one hand on his chin and the other on his hip. After some pacing back and forth he tripped over the chain linking his right arm to the Angeloid and fell flat on his face.

"Fuck my life..." he grumbled to himself.

"Are you hurt master?" asked the Angeloid while moving to check on Chris.

Chris held his hand out to her indicating he was fine and the young woman sat back down on the floor where she was completely motionless except for the heaving of her chest as she breathed. He found that curious and made a mental note before sitting down facing her and took a deep breath to compose his questions.

"What is an Angeloid?" he examined two white devices protruding from either side of her head where her ears should have been. "Are you a machine of some sort?"

"That is correct Master. I am a Pet class Angeloid created by the Synapse. Type Alpha, Ikaros. My purpose is to serve you, and to fulfill your every want and desire."

"What is the Synapse?"

"I'm afraid I don't have any information regarding the Synapse."

"Where did you come from?"

"From the Synapse."

"Where is the Synapse?"

"I'm afraid I don't have any information regarding the Synapse."

Chris sighed to himself. "Well, this is going nowhere fast. I don't have to be a professional journalist or an ex-soldier to know a conditioned response when I hear one. So why are you here exactly?"

"I was created by the Synapse to be your Angeloid. My purpose is to serve you, and to fulfill your every want and desire."

Chris stood up and started furiously pacing again, but this time he was mindful of the chain linking his hand to the Angeloid, "That's bullshit! So you're here to be my slave? Is that it? Who's idea of a sick joke is this?"

The Angeloid tilted her head and stared at him in confusion.

"Never mind. Next question. How did we get back here? How did I get this bandage on my head? Did you do all of this?"

"No Master. After you lost consciousness a man named Sugata arrived looking for you. Then there was a device in your pocket that started making noise. He used it to speak to someone named Sarah who told us to where to bring you. Once we arrived it was she who treated your injuries."

Chris slapped his face hard across the cheek with his left hand, and then again with his right. The chain made it hurt that much more but that was his intention. "This is a bad dream. I'm going to wake up any moment now and things will be normal again..."

After a long moment he turned his head to look at the Angeloid sitting on his floor with a confused expression on her face.

"So Sarah knows about you. That means before the afternoon, everyone I know is going to know about you. Before the end of the day, the world will know. Wonderful..."

A short moment later there was a soft knocking at the door and Chris heard Sarah's voice yelling from the other side. "Chris! I can hear you bitching! Open the damn door my hands are full here!"

Chris sighed and got up to start moving to the door while yelling loudly at the offending gateway to his already uncomfortable domicile. "Yes! Your majesty!"

After opening the door Sarah walked in without paying any further attention to him and moved towards the kitchen area. "By all means, please, come in, make yourself at home."

"This isn't a home Chris, this is a pig sty next door to my home. Now shut the fuck up and come eat. You too Ikaros. I'm sure Christopher was too stupid to offer you anything to eat or drink so I brought you food too," said Sarah with a casual tone of voice.

"You know you don't have to be such a bitch about it. It's not like I actually have anything to offer anyway," answered Chris in his usual dismissive tone.

"It's not like you're totally broke either. You're just a lazy bum," she retorted while picking up a plate of bacon and eggs to bring to the Angeloid sitting on the floor. "Here you go sweety, you're probably really hungry so go ahead and eat. Don't be shy."

The Angeloid reached out slowly and accepted the plate of food along with the supplied eating utensils and examined it all carefully. She observed her master casually eating with just a fork and did her best to imitate him but just made a mess of the eggs. Sarah observed her and sighed before taking the fork from her and taking a few moments to explain to her how to properly eat fried eggs and bacon. To Christopher's relief, the Angeloid appeared to be a quick study and started eating naturally.

Then it stuck him like a ton of bricks to his face. "Wait a minute. You're a machine right? So why do you need to eat?"

"I am an Angeloid," she answered.

Sarah shrugged, "She's an Angeloid."

Chris rolled his eyes, "Thank you. I wasn't sure I heard her right when she said it! So how long before she's front page news?"

"What kind of idiot do you take me for?!" she demanded with a contemptuous scowl directed at Christopher.

"Well... Since you brought it up... Last month you discovered I have a birthmark on my left ass cheek. By the end of the day that information had been re-tweeted twelve thousand times. So pardon me if I have my reservations about entrusting you with knowledge of the existence of the super advanced alien Angel robot I am presently _chained to_ in my living room," he stated while holding up his right hand for emphasis.

"I've already been over this with your mad scientist friend! I won't tell anyone about her! So relax already!"

"Master? Do you have any orders for me? You have only to tell me what would give you pleasure," spoke the Angeloid flatly while looking at Chris with those blank expressionless emerald eyes.

Sarah widened her eyes at her while Chris covered his face with his palm. When Sarah turned to Chris he knew her expression, she was demanding an explanation. Unfortunately, Chris didn't have one. He tried staying silent, but that didn't get her to let up. Her glare became more menacing with each passing moment.

"You know that scowl of yours turns me on even more than that submissive act ever could," said a smirking Chris.

Sarah sighed and leaned back on the kitchen counter beside Chris, after a moment of lulling him into a false sense of security she smacked him in the back of his head. "Hey! What the fuck was that for?"

"For being a chauvinist!" she spat.

"That's not what that word means. I'll get you a dictionary to look it up. In the meantime. I should start getting ready for work."

Sarah put a hand on his shoulder and stopped him from walking away, "No you shouldn't. You need to get her sorted out. I already called in sick for you."

"I haven't taken a sick day since I started this job. Why would I take one now?"

"That's why I made the call for you. I informed our boss that you got hurt in an accident and that you need your rest. She said you'd probably try to go to work anyway, in which case I have her permission to bind and gag you to your bed," she explained.

Chris took a very deep breath and shakily exhaled. "If you're trying to seduce me... It's working."

"Get your mind out of the gutter!"

"I think I'll be needing a cold shower right now. In the meantime, why don't you make yourself useful and find her something to wear... Something that isn't provocative if you have it," he said matter of factly.

"Are you saying I dress like a skank?"

"Yes. So don't dress her like one. Whatever she's wearing now is already bad enough."

Sarah took a moment to consider the Angeloid's appearance and the revealing clothing and armor she wore. "I thought you liked big boobs."

"Just because I take great pleasure in watching you Hulk out when I make fun of your mutant hooters does not mean I have a fetish for super sized love apples."

"Damn it Chris! You are such an asshole do you know that?" she said while taking the Angeloid by the hand and dragging her away.

"Just get her some decent cloths and then you can Tweet it to someone who has a fuck to give," he said back in a casual tone while walking over to his couch and slouching down into it.

After he sat down he glanced up and saw Sarah standing in his doorway with a mischievous grin in her face. She then held up the chain linking him to the Angeloid. Chris looked at his hand and then back at Sarah. "Oh... Shit," before she yanked the chain hard enough to rip him off the couch and onto the floor face first.

"When I said 'Hulk out' I didn't mean for you to take it literally..."

Sarah started laughing manically while leaving him on the floor to contemplate the many ways that chain was going to inconvenience his life from this moment forward.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Chris stood outside the door to Sarah's bedroom with his arms folded, an irate scowl on his face as he had to listen to Sarah explain how a bra worked. He tried to let his mind drift back to a time when he would have found something like this to be heaven on earth. But that was a life time ago and he couldn't comprehend how anyone could find this situation arousing, he even doubted if his younger self would be much happier with the situation than his older self was.

"Damn it, I wish this chain was a bit longer so you could actually come look at this stuff with me," he heard Sarah complain. Even though it was a minor inconvenience to her he still took pleasure in any suffering his misery could inflict upon her.

"I can make the chain as long as it needs to be, or hide it entirely if it becomes inconvenient," said Ikaros in that monotonous tone.

The next instant Christopher slammed open the door. His face was red, his teeth bared like a rabid dog. "Why didn't you say that **BEFORE** super woman nearly ripped my arm out of the socket and then dragged me here?!"

"Forgive me master. You did not ask."

Chris smacked his face with his chained left hand and yelped in agony as the metal smashed into his cheek. "Please... Make this thing go away! For the love of all things good and holy... Make it go away!"

Ikaros nodded at Chris and then the chair vanished from existence save for a few links and a half which remained dangling from Ikaros' choker.

"Alright Chris... Now could you get the fuck out?!" yelled Sarah while covering up with a random dress she had pulled out of her closet.

"You realize I actually know the real you. Unlike your legion of social media droolies, I am immune to your impossibly firm yet bouncy and spectacularly ginormous gazongas."

 **"Get out!"** she yelled while throwing a cloths hanger at him which he ducked and then casually walked away with a wave of his hand.

 **"Fuck you Chris!"**

"I used to dodge bullets for a living bitch! It'll take more than that!"

Sarah turned to Ikaros with a devilish grin, "You said you could make that chain invisible right? So it's still there?"

"That is correct," answered Ikaros.

Sarah took a hold of the remaining visible chain on Ikaros' choker and felt her way through the invisible chain until she was in position to give it a violent tug. There was a loud thud from her living room and then a yell of pain, "Ahhh! Fuck you Sarah!"

* * *

Chris opened his fridge and took out an energy drink, after popping the top he chugged it down and let and let out a contended "Ahhh" before throwing the can into his overflowing trash can.

"Master. Please give me a command. What would give you pleasure?" asked Ikaros from where she was sitting on the floor.

Chris sighed in frustration as he was about to sit down on his couch. He looked around his home and then down at Ikaros, she wanted something to do, and if he was going to be honest with himself, he needed something to do as well. Not being at work was making him crazy.

"I suppose there is something you could do if you really want to. You can help me clean this place up. As you can see, I never really bothered since all I do these days is sleep here."

"Do you wish for me to clean your home master?" asked Ikaros.

"No. I said I want you to _help_ me clean it if you _want_ to!"

Ikaros nodded while Chris walked over to his kitchen area. "I guess I'll start over here..." he looked over his kitchen space with a groan. "This is probably going to be the most disgusting chore and I'd rather you-What. The. Actual. Fuck?"

The dishes in and around the sink which had been laying around used or otherwise for over a year now suddenly started washing themselves in the sink with a sponge, scrubber, dish soap, and water. Chris looked around the apartment while everything started moving on their own and sorting themselves out. Trash for floating into old plastic bags, tying themselves up and landing neatly by the door. Laundry went into the washer in the corner of his kitchen area and at the center of it all was Ikaros holding up some kind of strangely glowing pink card...

"Hey God? Chris Murrow here. I'd like to check out now. Thank you," he said and then promptly collapsed onto the floor.

* * *

Chris felt a gentle slap to his face. When he awoke he caught the offending arm and threatened to punch the person touching him when he realized it was just Sugata. So instead of punching him he pushed the man onto the floor and stood up quickly to point down at him, "What the fuck are you doing in my house?!"

Before he could offer an explanation a woman with long purple hair cleared her throat to get Chris' attention. "There's no need to be upset. You were unconscious so we let ourselves in."

"Oh, I see. I was out cold, so you figured it would be ok to intrude and make yourselves at home. Who may I ask are you exactly? You're pretty so I won't use harsh language, even though I'm actually equally outraged that you're in here uninvited."

The woman smiled devilishly at Chris. "You certainly have the right to be offended, so I don't hold that against you. I'm a friend of Sugata's, my name is Mikako-"

"Satsukitane. I've heard of you. So to what do I owe the privilege of having a Yakuza heiress in my home with this freak show here," he said while gesturing to Sugata, "And feel free to invite your goons inside as well. I think there's four of them outside in the hall. I'd offer you all something to drink but I just had my last Red Bull a little while ago."

Mikako's smile intensified at Chris, "I'm impressed. I heard you're ex-military, but to be honest I didn't expect you be so _intense_. Your boss didn't do you much justice with her description of you."

"Doesn't surprise me, she's pretty jaded towards me," he said casually and sat back down on his couch. "Go ahead and take a seat anywhere you like. You're already here so make yourselves at home."

"Jaded isn't exactly the word I would choose. Frustrated, I think would be more apt. Frustrated with your dispassion for your work and your life."

"No offense, but I have the feeling you didn't come here to do a psychological profile of me," said Chris in all seriousness.

"I came here to see Ikaros. Mikako just wanted to come along," said Sugata.

"Ikaros?" Chris looked around. "Where is she anyway? Ikaros?" he called out to her.

"Yes Master?" said Ikaros while walking out from the bedroom.

"You have visitors..." said Chris. He then sighed and sat back down, "When she wasn't here in the living room I was hoping that maybe the whole thing was just a bad dream..." he looked at Mikako's blank stare and shrugged, "Not important. But I'm still curious. What are you doing with this guy?"

"I support his research, hence why we came to this particular middle of nowhere," she answered as if it should have been obvious.

"You actually buy into this guy's insanity?" Chris asked incredulously.

Mikako shrugged her shoulder, "Well, he's my fiancé. Unconditional support is expected. No matter how far out there-"

"That guy's your fiancé?!" he asked with a stupefied expression on his face and turned to look at Sugata who was trying to talk to Ikaros but only getting the same conditioned responses that Chris himself got. "...there's no justice in this world," he loathingly muttered to himself.

Chris turned her full attention over to Sugata and couldn't help but take some perverse pleasure in the frustrated look on his face. As if the answers to life, the universe, and everything was just outside his reach.

"What can you tell me about the hole in the sky?" he asked her calmly, even though it was obvious to anyone his head was about to explode.

"I'm afraid I have no information regarding that phenomenon," answered Ikaros.

"Is that where you came from?" asked Chris who decided to throw Sugata a life line.

"I'm afraid I have no information regarding the Synapse," replied Ikaros.

"Does the Synapse have something to do with that hole in the sky?" asked Chris.

"Yes."

Both Chris and Sugata were stunned by the answer.

"Alright Ikaros. Who sent you to me?"

"I'm afraid I have no information regarding the Synapse," she answered.

Chris looked at Sugata and felt the first genuine smile he'd ever given to anyone in a long time work its way across his face. "She's conditioned to avoid explaining her origins. What we need to do now is gather more information on our own and find more direct questions to ask her that don't violate her conditioning."

"Yes, that makes sense. The question now is, where do we begin?"

Chris stood up and motioned for Sugata to follow, "When the hole first appeared it was big news. But as you know, once NASA explained that the hole in the sky was some kind of natural phenomenon caused by some kind of scientific mumbo jumbo I won't even pretend to understand everyone simply accepted that and stopped giving a fuck except for nut jobs like you who made it their mission in life to find some higher purpose for the hole. Be it religious or pseudo science."

"I'm not sure if I should be taking offense here or not..." said Sugata with a cautious tone.

"I don't care how you take it. Just look. A couple years ago..." Chris pulled a newspaper article from the pile on his desk which somehow didn't rearrange itself. "They launched a probe into the hole to gather data."

"Yes. I remember that. That was when I decided to start doing my own research. They said the probe simply confirmed that the phenomenon was caused by a change in the Earth's magnetic field. But when they released the data for independent confirmation there a few very prominent researchers claimed the data was falsified," explained Sugata.

"Yes, and they lost their jobs short after releasing statements. Independent groups who tried to launch their own probes into the hole weren't allowed to, and a few who tried to do it anyway failed to launch their probes, I spoke to a few and they said it was just a mechanical failure and they couldn't afford to try again. But there were too many failures for it to just be a coincidence. Anyone who did try again though suddenly dropped off the Face of the Earth itself. I didn't care enough to keep looking into this but now Ikaros makes me wonder what they actually found there and if they're covering it up somehow."

Sugata nodded along, "I didn't know about the disappearances. But I do know some people personally who say they were intimidated into stopping their research. The Dark Web is full of stories like that. Fortunately for me I'm not easily intimidated. I've grown up with scary people," he said while gesturing to his fiancé.

"Yeah... So you're throwing your money and muscle behind his research?" Chris asked Mikako.

"That's part of it. But yes. Let's just say it was two birds with one stone," she answered with a grin.

"Right. Respectfully, the less I know about the other thing, the better I'll feel about all this. Unless the other thing has something to do with the first?"

Mikako shook her head, "It doesn't. They're completely separate things."

"Alright then... What the hell? This is more interesting than anything else I've got going on. So against my better judgment, I'll help you. But if either of you try to involve me in anything else... I'm out. I don't want to know about anything else you do, I don't want to see anything else you're involved in, and if I ever get questioned by the police, I want to be able to confidently say I don't know shit and have it be true. Do we have a deal?"

Sugata nodded and then looked over at Mikako who nodded as well. "Yes, we all agree on that," she stated.

Chris turned to Ikaros and looked down at her sitting on the floor, watching them with those blank emerald eyes, "Now... Where do we even start?"

"We could start by going back to the scene where you first encountered her. There was some debris that fell around the area. That could give us some important clues," Sugata suggested.

"Let's do it," said Chris with a firm nod.

* * *

 **A/N:** Sorry for the lack of updates. But real life has kept me pretty busy of late.

Thank you for reading and I hope you'll continue to be entertained. My goal with this little project is to have fun and give people a few laughs. But since this is the first time I've ever tried writing a story outside of school or college please forgive me if it's not all that great.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"Looks like we need a plan B," said Chris as he looked out the tinted window of the large SUV he was in towards the field where Ikaros came crashing down over his head.

He then pulled out his camera and attached a large lens to the body. Then he started taking pictures of military trucks loading large objects covered in black wrapping to be taken away. He then took pictures of groups of soldiers walking around to maintain a perimeter around the area. The police road block ahead of the car, the military adding further enforcement to the road block. There were also Air Force officers walking towards the scene. Any view of the area in question was obstructed by barricades and heavy vehicles.

"Impressive response time," mused Sugata.

"I have to agree. To be this far along they had to have come sometime in the night. Tells me they probably had a lot of eyes on that hole and have people ready to move in case something like this happened. What I'm more concerned about is if anyone saw any of us after I passed out. Or if they managed to spot Ikaros falling out of that hole," said Chris while snapping as many pictures as he could of whatever caught his eye.

"If they did, I doubt they got more than a glimpse of her, it was very dark. I doubt any images taken a night could give them enough resolution or detail to get a description of her," added Sugata.

"Let's hope so. This is Roswell shit right here. Annoying as it is to have Ikaros chained to my arm I'm not letting them drag her and my left arm to Area 51," said Chris with a grim sort of resolve as he continued to snap away with his camera.

"Ikaros. I have a question for you. Being a machine of some sort do you have any kind of sensors that were active while you came down from the sky? Do you know if there was anyone else in the area who could have seen you last night?" asked Sugata.

"I should have thought of that..." he mused in disappointment with himself.

"Don't feel bad Christopher. You haven't been using your mind like this in a long time. We just need to spray a little lube on your gears," said Mikako with an amused voice.

"I'm trying really hard here... But when an attractive girl says lube... Grr! Ikaros, just answer the man's question!" said Chris while Mikako laughed at him.

"Unfortunately they were not functional at the time of my arrival master. However when I took flight to bring you to your home I did not detect the presence of any others besides Mr. Sugata in the immediate area," explained Ikaros who was seated beside Christoper in the back row of the SUV.

"Took flight... Guess your wings aren't just for show..." he said casually and then looked up from his camera's view finder and then to Ikaros with a twitching eyebrow. "Wait! You flew me home?!"

"Yes master. I did."

Chris was about to smack his face with his left hand when he remembered the chain. He closed his and tightly a few times just to be sure it was safe and then proceeded to face palm and groan loudly in annoyance. "The stupid... **_It_** **_BURNS!_** Half the city probably saw you!" Chris yelled and then put down his camera and pulled out his phone.

"What are you doing?" asked Sugata and Mikako.

"Checking social media... I'm sure everyone who saw Ikaros flying around took a video and snapped a picture and put it on Facebook or Twitter... Or whatever the fuck... Oh thank you merciful God!"

"You found nothing?" asked Mikako.

"I found three mentions. No images or video. Someone asked for video or pictures of it but nobody seems to be forthcoming. I'll keep an eye on that and I'll check again later today in case someone was just too lazy to upload their video. The mentions say they just saw an angel flying and take it a sign... Religious nutters get ignored or laughed at on the internet. If any of them post video or pictures it'll get laughed off as a fake by serious people... Which might actually be useful for us later on if we need some plausible deniability..." Chris looked around at all the blank stares, "File that away for later. Right now, we need to wait until the heat is off this to take a look around at the scene. I doubt they'll miss anything but we might get lucky."

"Right now I should probably get you more up to speed on my research. I'd also like take a closer look at Ikaros and-" Sugata was silenced by a harsh stare from Mikako and then raised his hands up defensively, "Nothing like that my love! I swear it! This is for science!"

Chris narrowed his eyes at Sugata, "When I first met you yesterday you compared to the unknown to what's up a girl's skirt. You'll excuse me if I won't let you 'look' at Ikaros unsupervised, and place a strict moratorium on any up skirt exploration."

"I have to agree with Christopher..." said Mikako in a hard voice that even gave Chris the chills.

Chris looked at Ikaros' blank face. "You know Mikako... I'm glad you're here. Ikaros seems oblivious to a lot of things that I frankly can't help her with. I hope you don't mind if we use you as a female role model for her."

"Oh I think you'll come to regret saying that once you get to know- Ooff..."

Mikako silenced Sugata by stomping on his foot. "Lesson one Ikaros. When your man is running his mouth when he should be staying quiet, a proper lady should promptly silence him."

Chris turned his attention back to the window and started taking a few more shots at new angles while the car started driving away from the scene. "I can say with confidence that before this is all over I'm going to wish I never met you Sugata..."

"I do believe the feeling will be mutual..." he replied while massaging his aching foot.

"Driver. Take us to Sugata's camp site," she ordered and then turned to Chris who was disassembling his camera and putting it back in the bag. "So Christopher-"

"You can call me Chris if you want to."

"Very well. Chris. So you're ex-military. What exactly did you do before you became a reporter?"

"I'm surprised someone like you would walk into my house without already knowing everything there is to know about me. No, I'm inclined to believe that you already know the answer to the question, in which case I'd ask why you would bother making idle conversation when we have a million other things we could be discussing about our present circumstances."

Mikako smirked, "I heard you don't like to talk about your past. I wanted to see how deep it went. That was quite the evasion."

"I wouldn't be very good at asking questions if I wasn't also good at dodging them."

"I'm sure you probably have a few questions you'd like to ask right now."

"Like now that we know the military is somehow involved in this if I can trust you not to turn around and try to make some money off of whatever secrets Ikaros might be keeping?"

"I was wondering how long after that discovery it would be before you asked me that... Even if I say I won't, you have no reason to trust me. So I'll go ahead and give you one. I wasn't raised to make stupid decisions. I'll admit the thought had crossed my mind. But I like to think long term. Screwing you over now would only bring a short term gain. Working with you, earning your trust, and helping Sugata discover the truth about what's happening. That would lead to potential long term gains. Good enough for now?"

"Yes. And my respect for you just went up a few points. You didn't have to admit to any ulterior motives for being involved in all this. Hell, you don't even have to play nice with me. It's not like I have the power to go against you if you decide to make me cooperate with you at gunpoint."

"Guns don't frighten you. You're self destructive because you've lost interest in life. What I have to offer appeals to you because it's dangerous, exciting, and above all, interesting. It's the greatest mystery of our time. So why should I have to do anything besides give you what you want to get you to work with us?"

"I sure hope you had no idea what was going to happen when you asked me to meet you there last night Sugata... Because if you did I swear to God-"

"Of course I had no idea! Remember I tried to tell you to get out of there!" he protested.

"Fair enough. But the signal went bad right before the sky started dumping on me. So how did you know the shit was going to hit the fan?"

"Right before I called you I noticed the hole started emitting radiation and the magnetic fields started to-"

"Right. Geek speak... Blah blah blah... So what kind of radiation dose did I get?"

"Nothing lethal master," said Ikaros.

"Whatever... I don't even want to know anymore... Either I'll get cancer or develop super powers," said Chris with indifference.

"Do you have a favorite super hero Chris?" asked Sugata.

"Ironman. Hands down."

"Doesn't surprise me, you're just as much of an asshole as he is," said Sugata while looking out the window at nothing in particular.

"I know no greater compliment," answered Chris while doing the same.

* * *

Ikaros flew around the camp site in a demonstration of her flight capability. Sugata took notes in an effort to understand how it worked while Chris was simply stunned. "I knew she could fly. It's how she saved me last night..." he said while touching the bandage on his forehead. "But actually seeing it like this... How the hell does she do it exactly? From what I understand flight is a pretty complicated thing, it's just a matter of sticking wings on a person. Right?"

"Indeed. The evolution of flight is very complicated and I won't bog you down with the details. In the case of Ikaros there's more to it than just her wings. Ikaros! You can come down now!"

Ikaros nodded and landed gracefully on her feet in front of the two men.

Sugata made a few more notes before looking up at her, "How fast can you actually fly Ikaros?"

"I am capable of reaching twenty four times the speed of sound. Or twenty ninthou-"

Chris choked on that information and start coughing and gasping for air. "Are you alright master?" asked Ikaros with evident concern in her otherwise emotionless tone.

"How is that even possible?" he asked while looking at Sugata.

"I don't know. But I'm curious to find out. Ikaros, could you explain how exactly you are able to fly?"

Ikaros shook her head, "I'm afraid I have no information on that."

"Could you explain to us again what you are exactly?" asked Chris.

"Yes master. I am a Pet Class Angeloid. Type Alpha."

"Could you be more specific? What is an Angeloid, and what does it mean to be pet class?"

"An Angeloid is a combination of organic and mechanical engineering created to serve a specific function. My function as a pet class Angeloid is to serve my master and satisfy his every want and desire."

Chris smacked his face with both of his hands while Mikako and Sugata gave him dirty looks. Chris then lifted his face from his hands and glared daggers back at Sugata, "Should we go ask your 'assistant' if you have the right to judge anyone?"

"You didn't... You know..." asked Sugata with a curious brow raised.

"I'm not even going to dignify that with an answer. I'm going to go sit down and ignore you now."

Chris went into the test and grabbed a folding chair, her opened it up and sat down by Sugata's tent near the river. He kept a close eye on Sugata while he went about trying to develop an understanding of how Ikaros was able to fly.

"Why aren't you more interested?" asked Mikako as she unfolded a chair and set it down next to Chris.

"I'm plenty interested," he said plainly. "But I'm interested in the why of it all. I don't honestly give a damn what she is, or what she is capable of. I want to know why someone would send her to me specifically to be my servant as she stated. I find the idea of it disgusting and when I find out who's sick joke this is I'm going to take out all my frustrations on them."

"So it's a revenge thing for you? You want to hurt the person who turned your life upside down?"

"Something like that yes."

"Ever considered that maybe your life needed to be turned upside down so that it would be right side up again?" she asked with the same indifferent tone that Chris was taking with her.

"Your statement implies a higher power taking an interest in my life. I don't believe in a higher power. Therefore the statement that my life needed this level of upheaval to be corrected is flawed. I don't think there was anything wrong with my life that needed correcting."

Mikako snickered, "I didn't say any of that at all. My implication was that you were literally bored to death, and this is interesting. Positive or negative, you're being stimulated by this experience. So maybe instead of hurting the person responsible, you should thank them."

"When I woke up yesterday morning I didn't ask the universe to jerk me off by sending me to interview a mad scientist, and then have an angelic robot slave thrown at me from the sky, and I certainly didn't ever want to be mixed up with organized crime. Now here I am. I should probably be laughing at the absurdity of this situation," explained Chris with an indignant tone.

"It could be much worse you know. Ikaros isn't unattractive. Most men would find the idea of having an angel to satisfy their every desire to be heaven on Earth," she pointed out.

"Those men would be idiots. I could never in good conscious exploit someone who has no free will."

"Coming from a soldier, that's a bit contradictory."

"A soldier volunteers to surrender their free will to the chain of command, and still retains the free will to disobey orders given to them if they are unlawful or too morally questionable despite the consequences. But someone with enough sentience to exercise free will but is compelled to obey someone no matter what. That is something I can't abide. Who would make such a thing?"

Mikako burst into a laugh, "Maybe that's exactly why someone thought you were the right person to be her master? Exactly because you revile that power and would never abuse it for your own gain."

To Mikako's surprise, Chris seemed to be giving the thought serious consideration. With a hand on his chin and his eyes gazing up at the sky. "I've been having these recurring dreams for a while now-"

"About the wars?" asked Mikako with a cautious tone.

"No. Well. I have those too. But I also have this dream where I'm in a grassy field with this woman. She has long blue hair and white wings similar to Ikaros. In the dream it's like she's my lover. When I'm with her I feel happy and content. But then the sky opens up and seems to pull her into it. She keeps saying something to me in that moment but I can never hear what it is."

"You think it's somehow connected?"

Chris gestured to Ikaros. "Stranger things have happened recently."

* * *

Meanwhile Sarah sat at her desk with ear buds blaring music into her ears. The person working next to her tried to get her attention but she was oblivious to him until he started tugging at her sleeve. She paused the music on her phone and turned to him. "What's up?"

"Are you listening to Ozzy Osborne?" he asked her.

"Yes I am. Why do you ask?" she wondered.

"Look... I have a deep respect for the Oz-man. But could you maybe turn it down a bit? It's kinda distracting. Not to mention you're gonna blow our your ear drums before your ride on the crazy train is over."

Sarah's eyes narrowed at the man which made him slide his chair away from her nervously. "You have **_no idea_** what's happening on the crazy train I'm on right now. If I wanna blare my music in my ears that's what I'm gonna do so deal with it newbie!"

"Hey Sarah! Need you in my office now!" yelled the managing editor from across the room.

"Be right there!" she yelled back and then glared at her co-worker again before standing up and walking away from her desk.

"The fuck is her problem?" he wondered in a low voice as she walked away.

Sarah knocked on the office door before entering, "What can I do for you ma'am?" she asked as she walked in and shut the door behind her. She looked at her boss who was rubbing her shoulder, an open bottle of Vicodin on her desk. "Are you alright Kathy?"

The managing editor shook her head, "No. It's really bad today. I'm sorry to do this to you, but I have to get this typed up in twenty minutes. Could you do me a solid and-"

"Say no more, I got this. You should just lie down on the couch until the pain stops," said Sarah while standing beside Kathy's chair to help her up if she needed it.

Kathy stood up and nodded to Sarah, "Thank you. I owe you one, the notes are... Sort of all over the place..." she said while gesturing with her good arm to her note book.

"Don't worry, I'll figure it out. Just relax."

"Thanks..." replied Kathy as she lay down on the couch in her office.

Sarah sat down at the desk and looked at the notes which were indeed jumbled and seemingly incoherent. The hand writing was strained and difficult to read but deciphered it as she went along without too much difficulty. "You know, you should try a voice recorder from now on. You shouldn't put too much stress on that arm."

"I think it's about time I started adopting technology. Yes," she muttered in response. "By the way, how's the new guy settling in?"

Sarah chuckled for a moment, "Sports boy? He's doing alright. He's always worried about making mistakes. But lately he's been asking questions about Chris, and just now he was complaining about the volume of my music."

"What kind of questions?"

"About why we put up with his shit," she replied while typing up the notes.

"What did you tell him?"

"That it was none of his damn business," she said over the monotonous clicking of the keys.

"Maybe you should tell him discreetly. Before he gets curious enough to ask Chris directly or worse makes a scene about the unprofessionalism like the last guy."

"Good point... I'll tell him later and hopefully it'll shut him up about it."

"How is Chris by the way? And what exactly happened to him?"

"He'll live. He fell off his motorcycle last night. I didn't get the whole story I was too busy bandaging him up."

"Why didn't he go to a hospital?"

"I can barely get him to go to his VA clinic appointments. Keeps saying people who need it more should get the spot ahead of him every time it comes up. **_It really pisses me off!_** "

Kathy turned her head at the sharp rise in Sarah's tone and looked her in the eyes to take note of the fury in her eyes, "You really care about him don't you?"

"Someone has to! He doesn't care about himself one little bit!"

"That's part of the reason I keep him around though. He's selfless to a fault. Yes he can be a jerk, but when the shit hits the fan, he'll be there for you no matter what it takes."

"I believe you. I just wish..."

"So do I. But he'll get through this rough patch."

Sarah stopped typing and finally looked over at Kathy, "What makes you so sure?"

"Because he's got you," she answered with a sincere smile.

"I always thought you kept him around because you wanted to... You know."

"Oh hell no. Nothing like that. He's here because of a debt. I'm alive now because of him. And as long as I'm alive I'm not going to let him end up in the street. So if you want to, go ahead. I'm not in your way."

Sarah's cheeks turned red while she slowly nodded, "Now if only he wasn't so dense..."

"I think you both have that problem..."

* * *

Sugata went though his equipment in a search for the right tools. "I was sure I had one somewhere here..."

"Alright Professor X, I'll bite. What are you looking for?" asked Chris in a sarcastic tone.

"A scale and tape measure. I want to take her measurements so I can do the math on her flight characteristics."

Ikaros stepped forward and began to speak, "I am exactly one hundred and sixty two centimeters in height, my weight is forty eight kilograms and I have a variable wingspan of-"

"Ikaros... Please! A lady shouldn't be giving so many details about herself... Tsk tsk," protested Mikako.

Chris folded his arms and looked down at Sugata with a raised eyebrow. "What's the relevance? We know she can fly, and she can apparently fly pretty damn fast."

"I'm not exactly sure yet. But she's an inhabitant of the new world. The more we can learn about her the more we'll understand what the people there are capable of."

Chris grunted in frustration, "Let me help you out then. What we know about her so far is that she was designed to be a servant. She can apparently fly at speeds which would generate enough g-force to compress you or me down into a singularity. She's says she's part organic, but her organic components are obviously not the same as ours because she can evidently withstand the immense g-forces. Which means she's a lot tougher than us. So the question I give to the floor is this, why give something designed to be a servant such capabilities?"

"Yes, that is exactly the question I was hoping to find evidence to answer," said Sugata while standing up and dusting off his pants. "Very impressive deductions."

"If you think that's impressive we're in trouble. I think a three year old could arrive at those conclusions." Chris then looked at Ikaros, "Can you tell us about your design philosophy Ikaros?"

Ikaros looked at Chris blankly while answering, "I'm afraid I have no information on the intentions behind my design beyond my intended purpose to serve as your Angeloid, master."

"Stop calling me master... It's creepy. Call me Chris. Can you do that at least?"

"I'm afraid I cannot do that master."

"Does it matter to you at all that I never consented to be your master?" he asked Ikaros directly.

The Angeloid looked at him with confusion and then her head sank low, "I don't know master... My purpose is to serve you. If you do not want me. I am without purpose..."

Chris groaned loudly in frustration, "Alright Ikaros, just relax. I'll find something for you to do. Just... Don't look so pathetic," said Chris while stepping over to Ikaros where he cupped her chin with his hand and lifted her head up. "Keep your head up. We'll figure this out and come to an arrangement that'll satisfy your purpose and my morals."

"I am glad to hear that. Master."

"For now though. I would like you to help us understand as much as you can. Answer our questions the best you can and volunteer any useful information you have. Is that acceptable?"

"Yes master. If that is your desire I will fulfill to the best of my ability."

"Thinks fly because they need to. That's why nature evolved certain animals with the gift of flight. For the Angeloids to fly as they do, I suspect the inhabitants of the new world created her with the ability to fly because it's a useful ability in their environment." explained Sugata who seated himself in front of a computer and started typing.

"God created man in his image. Man is presently devoting a lot of resources to creating machines in our image. Wouldn't it stand to reason that they created her in their image?"

"Yes. I believe it would. Hence why I wanted more data on her flight characteristics. But if they did create her in their image. I think that speaks volumes about who and what they are."

"So we can assume they're people who look like us, but evolved with the ability to fly. As you said, things fly because they need to fly for their own survival. So I would postulate that they fly because their environment requires it somehow. But did they create Ikaros as a hybrid between us and them, or is her appearance entirely based on their image?"

Sugata contemplated it for a long moment, "That's entirely possible. But I would say the evidence leans more towards Ikaros being created in their image. To be so technologically advanced requires that they have certain features, such as prehensile limbs with opposable thumbs to make and use tools. Flight however is the most interesting characteristic,

"You see. Flight evolved many times in our world. In completely separate and unrelated creatures. Bats and birds for example. The primate features could be evidence of an arboreal nature for their species. The gift of flight could be an evolutionary response to natural predators or an exaptation for the purpose of predation. I could come up with hundreds of theories to fit the available evidence."

"You're also proceeding on the assumption that there really is another world on the other side of that hole in the sky," Chris pointed out.

"Before Ikaros showed up you could have made that point. But she is unequivocal proof that there is another world, and another civilization on the other side of that hole. At this point the evidence strongly points to the hole being some kind of doorway between our two worlds. What that other world is though, is an open question. Is it an Einstein-Rosen bridge between two planets in our universe? Is it a link to the Earth of a parallel universe? A higher dimension? There are so many unanswered questions... But regardless of which one it turns out to be, based on my observations of Ikaros thus far I surmise that this isn't the first time the doorway between our worlds has been opened."

"I was hoping we could avoid that conversation..." muttered Chris.

"We can't. Because our historical and mythological record can now be looked at in a whole new light. They've obviously had an influence on our development. I think perhaps you should be the one to gather evidence on that front while I work at it from a scientific point of view."

"Of course you do..." muttered Chris.

"You're the journalist. This kind of research should be child's play to you."

"Alright Professor X... I'll drink the Kool-aid. But let me just be a voice of reason for a moment here. Assuming you're right and there really is another civilization on the other side of that hole. They're obviously very far ahead of us in terms of their technology. It wasn't so long ago that Professor Hawking warned us about contact with Alien life. Pointing out that when Columbus reached the new world, it didn't turn out so well for the natives."

"I've considered that. But don't you think that's even more reason for us to learn as much as we can before the wrong sorts of people do?"

"From personal experience..." said Chris with a resigned voice, "I'll concede you that point. They obviously already know more than we do. In fact given what we already know, rather than looking at the historical record I'd rather take another look at the Geo-political situation since the hole first appeared. Given what we know now, that might be more insightful."

"I agree," said Sugata.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Christopher sat at his computer in the office the next morning. He was taking hand written notes on everything he was reading. A few curious stares came his way from around the office. Nobody could even remember the last time they saw Chris look so involved in his work. Sarah couldn't help but take a picture on her phone. When he heard the sound of the camera app he slowly turned around and glared at her with a menacing look on his face.

"If I see that on your Twitter feed later..." Chris pulled out his phone and opened a photo to show Sarah.

She narrowed her eyes at the photo and then looked up at Chris, "You wouldn't dare!"

"Test me," he said to her in a serious voice.

The new sports editor turned around to see what was so interesting. When he saw the picture of Sarah in her lingerie with a finger up her nose his face turned red and he quickly looked away. "Why do you even have a picture like that of her?!"

"This isn't even the worst picture I have. Ever since she posted a picture of my ass on Twitter I've been preparing for nuclear war!"

The younger sports editor shook his head, "Mutually Assured Social Media Destruction? Hope you have ammo against him Sarah."

Sarah smirked at Chris and opened a photo on her phone to show him which caused his glare to intensify. This one was a picture of him unconscious with Ikaros in her skimpy armored outfit clearly chained to his hand in his bedroom.

"And you still wonder why your dairy section can't hypnotize me into mindless subservience. This is a new low and I will have my revenge! One day woman, I will get dirt on you that will be viral enough to make the black death blush!"

"Alright sports boy! All I posted was a picture of the birth mark on his ass six months ago and now he's at Defcon one over me taking a picture of him working hard for the first time in a year. Could you fill in for the UN and impose a cease fire resolution for us here?"

"When you two started showing off soft core porn of each other and escalated your little spat into proper NSFW territory I had to check the sign on the door to make sure I was in the right place because for a moment there I felt like I was in the head office of Playboy."

"Don't get your hopes up kid. Playboy does better journalism than we do these days," said an indignant Christopher.

"And whose fault is that Chris?" asked the Managing Editor who was now standing over them.

Chris looked up at her, "Probably mostly mine. Which brings us to the reason I'm glad you're standing over us like a towering specter of unspeakably sexy evil. I have a story pitch for you."

"It better be good because I almost can't wait to see you try to explain that comment to the HR department," answered Kathy with an irate glare.

Chris took out his camera and put the memory card into his computer to open up the images he took of all the soldiers working to clear the field he'd taken the previous day. Kathy put her good arm down on the desk and leaned in for a closer look. "What the hell happened there? Did a UFO crash?"

"Something like that actually. The reason my head is all bandaged up like this is because Sarah can't do first aid to save her life and because the rubble of a stone building literally fell out of the a giant hole in the sky right on top of me. And before you dismiss this as crazy talk..." Chris opened up the few pictures he got of the debris coming down over him from that night. "They're not the best shots I'll admit. As soon as I realized it was going to land on my face I had to stop shooting and start running. I tried to go back there yesterday to get some shots of the debris but that's when I found the military clearing it all up. I went back again last night and the army still had the area under lock down."

"It's kind of dark and fuzzy. But yeah. I can see it clear enough. So you didn't fall off your bike? We'll discuss that later. For now write up what you got and then show it to me. I'll make some calls and try to get comments from the military, police, and local government," she said while walking off.

"You got it boss!" said Chris with enthusiasm that had Kathy smiling.

Sarah rolled her chair over to Chris' desk and leaned in closer to whisper into his ear, "You know you left out the most important detail..."

"Yes. And I'd thank you to leave that out as well," he whispered back.

"I take it you realize that some heat will come onto you from this if they realize you were there and saw this right?" she pointed out to him.

"I know what'll happen better than you do. I used to play for their team. But there's no other way to find out what I really need to know. Before you ask, yes I'm taking precautions."

"As long as you know what you're doing I'll trust you," she said and then rolled her chair back to her desk.

Chris took a blank memory card out of his bag and inserted it into his computer to copy over all his pictures. Then he took it back out and walked over to Sarah and put a hand on her shoulder to forcefully hold her down while he shoved his hand down the front of her shirt and stuck the memory card into her bra. When he let her go she slapped him across the face.

Chris shook it off and held up his hands apologetically and winked at her as soon as she put a hand over her breast and felt the card in her bra. "Keep it there," he mouthed to her before walking away.

"Ok... Now you have to tell me why the fuck does that fucking fucker still have a job here!" asked the young sports editor with anger and fury on his face and in his voice.

Sarah turned to him and took a deep breath to compose herself. She held up her hands to him to gesture for him to relax as well. When she started speaking it was in a low voice, "A few years ago. Kathy was a reporter on assignment in Afghanistan. That's where she first met Chris. He was an Army Ranger."

"No shit? That guy?!"

Sarah hushed him up, "Keep your damn voice down. This isn't something we like to talk about here. Anyway. The second time she met him she was in Iraq. Skipping over gruesome details Kathy and her crew were taken by insurgents. Remember a while back there were those videos of reporters getting beheaded? Some of those were Kathy's people."

"Holy shit..."

Sarah nodded and looked over to see Chris working something at a computer across the office then turned back to the young sports editor, "Chris went after them. I'm not going to explain how and you don't want to know about it. When he got there it was a big firefight and he got shot four times but he saved Kathy and two of her guys and got them out of there. Kathy got shot twice during the escape so Chris carried her out."

"Damn... So that's why everyone puts up with his crap... I had no idea."

"There's a lot more to the story which I am not going to tell you about which I'm probably not even suppose to know about, but Chris almost ended up homeless after he came back. When Kathy found out about his situation she had just started as Managing Editor here. So she brought him in and put him to work. So yeah. Cut him a little slack. He's an asshole but-"

"But he's got giant brass balls. So what, are you two competing to see who gets the D now or something?"

"What the fuck kind of question is that to ask me?! I told you this because I don't want you to run your mouth to Chris and the boss doesn't want you asking questions about it. She and I can deal with Chris. You worry about the NFL draft," she said while pointing to his news alert.

"I ask because I'd like to ask you out on a date sometime... But if you're into Chris that's cool."

"Damn newbie. You're really competing with Chris for inappropriate work place etiquette now aren't you?" she said while turning back to her computer to go through her news wires.

"Is that a no?" he asked in response.

"My life is a little complicated right now and it's not looking much better in the near future. Ask me again sometime for a definitive answer."

"A yes or no would be nice... But I guess I can accept a 'maybe' for now. Change of subject then. Why do you do Science and Tech news? Are you just interested in science or are you waiting to move to another section?"

"I have a degree in science and I love educating people about it. I look up to people like Bill Nye and Neil deGrasse Tyson. I also do a science show on YouTube in my spare time debunking creationist pseudoscience and other bullshit. Only twelve thousand subscribers right now but it's growing."

"Smart and beautiful. Now I feel even more intimidated by you," he said to her.

"Relax newbie. I'm not scary at all."

"Don't believe her new guy. She'll eventually Hulk out on you and you'll learn better," said Chris as he sat back at his desk.

"My name is Peter... Could we stop calling me newbie and new guy or whatever?"

"No. From now on your name is Spiderman. And Sarah is the She-Hulk."

"For the record Peter Parker was a Photojournalist... Not a sports editor. And She-Hulk is a Lawyer."

"Who are you then Chris? Hindsight Lad?" wondered Sarah.

"The fact that you even know who Hindsight Lad is says more about you than me. I am obviously Captain America."

"How do you even get that ego of yours through the door?" asked Sarah without taking her eyes off the computer.

"It's not easy. But it _can_ be done."

* * *

Sugata observed carefully as Ikaros worked with a set of tests he printed off the internet. Mikako wrapped her arms around his left arm and rested her head on his shoulder. "Have you learned anything interesting from all these tests you've given her?"

"Yes. I have. I've determined that she was very low emotional capacity but she appears to have a very high level of complex problem solving skills. Given enough time she's been able to solve every test and puzzle I've given her. Including today's Sudoku and crossword."

"Awww. I wanted to solve those..."

"But that's not even the most interesting thing. When I ran out of paper for the printer she pulled out this thing she called a 'Transport Card' and literally summoned paper out of thin air. She explained that the card is able to grant wishes. So I got her to create a few other things. Near as I can tell the card seems to be some kind of technology which materializes things the user needs. I'm not sure what limitations it has and I'm hesitant to run any further tests with it at this time until I can come up with some appropriate experiments."

Mikako smiled at Sugata which drew a curious glance from him, "What is it?"

"I just haven't seen you this passionate in a long time now. Nothing excites you like the unknown. So tell me more about this card."

"I thought that might get you interested. Just don't mess around with it. There's too much we don't know. She told me she used it to make Chris' apartment clean itself. There's no telling what else it's capable of. When I asked her she said it could do anything. So if you're looking for a good return on your investment in my research this could be it. But I'd ask you to-"

"Sugata... Relax. I'm won't go playing with your new toys until you tell me it's safe. I learned that lesson from your chemistry set in second grade, your particle accelerator in high school and with your glider in university."

"So you only had to blow off your eyebrows, black out half the city, and crash into the boys dormitory to learn your lesson? Do you not see why I'm so insistent about this right now?"

"You just don't want me learning my lessons the hard way. I get that. So where's Chris right now?"

"At work. He told me to keep Ikaros here and find out more about her. He doesn't want her near his apartment or his work today. He said he wanted to keep her safe while he poked the hornet's nest. Whatever that means."

"I suppose we'll find out later won't we?"

Ikaros looked up from her test and the long loose strand of hair on top of her head started to twitch. "I think my master is in danger..."

"Chris knows what he's doing. He told you to stay here because it wasn't safe for you with him. So trust him and don't do anything stupid Ikaros," explained Sugata.

* * *

Chris sat with his arms out across the couch in the Managing Editor's office while an Air Force Major sat at the chair in front of her desk. She was reading an order requesting they hand over all of his photographs of the event and forbidding them from running any story in the newspaper about it or the military activity in the area.

"This is bullshit..." she muttered while reading the document.

"Nobody asked for your opinion ma'am. Please sign the document and hand over the requested materials."

"I could refuse to sign this and have my legal department challenge it in court."

The Major shook his head. "I'm afraid you can't. This is only a courtesy. We're giving you a chance to cooperate and avoid more serious problems later. If you refuse, we'll take what we want and charge you both with obstruction, espionage, treason... the works."

Kathy looked over to Chris, "Can they really do this?"

Chris shrugged, "Big brother can do whatever he wants because someone forgot to tell our current and previous presidents that 1984 wasn't meant to be an instruction manual," the Major was about to interject when Chris put his hand up and continued talking, "They can argue in court that by releasing a news story about a top secret military operation that we are in effect leaking top secret information to enemies of the United States. Even though it is complete and utter bullshit since they're conducting this operation in plain sight. The law is unfortunately on their side. Just look at what happened to Snowden and Manning. Though I am curious how you intend to keep this information off social media."

"That's not your problem Mr. Murrow."

Chris looked over at Kathy and nodded to her, "Sign it. We're not going to win this."

Kathy sighed in frustration as she took up a pen and signed the document. After that she closed the folder and handed it over to the Air Force Major who then looked at Christopher who reached into his pocket and pulled out two memory cards and held them up, but did not hand them over. The Major held out his hand and Chris shook his head.

"No Major. If you want these, you have to take them. I won't hand them over," he said sternly.

"I checked you out before I came here. I heard you were a prick. You certainly live up to that reputation. Why do you think it matters if you hand them over or I take them?"

"If I hand them over to you it means I acknowledge that you have a right to them. But if I hold them like this and make you take them from my hand I get to burn the image of you violating the constitution you swore to uphold in my mind."

The Major reached over and snatched the memory cards from his hand and walked out without saying a word.

"And he says I'm a prick..." muttered Chris.

"Well you are. But this is one of those rare instances where I'm glad you're the prick who's on my side. Well. I guess that's that. You got anything else to work on?"

"Yeah. I do. There's obviously something to that hole in the sky that they aren't telling us. At the risk of sounding like a tabloid reporter, I think it merits some additional investigation. Since the hole is presently parked over this city and it's the first time it's stopped moving at all since it was discovered, I think the public would be curious to read some sort of detailed analysis about the hole, it's history, and what effects, if any, it's had on the world."

"As long as it doesn't get us anymore visits from the military. Go ahead," she said while gesturing to the door.

"Sure thing boss," he answered while getting up to leave.

"Oh and Chris. It's good to see you taking an interest in something again."

"I guess the world decided it missed me enough to suck me back into it," he said and then suddenly stopped moving entirely as he thought about what he just said.

"Chris? You alright?" she asked with concern.

"Yeah... I just realized the possible meaning behind a recurring dream I've been having. If you think it's even possible that dreams try to tell you something?"

"The mind is complicated. I think different parts of it try to tell us things we already know but don't consciously acknowledge... So yes. I do believe that's possible."

"Good to know. So I'm not completely insane yet," he said while leaving the office.

"That's debatable..." muttered Kathy while sitting back in her chair and rubbing her shoulder.

* * *

Chris sat in the passenger seat of Sarah's car. He gave her instructions to drive them to where Sugata was camping out. After a short while on the road he held out his hand. "I'll be needing that memory card back now."

Sarah groaned in annoyance as she reached into her bra to pull it out and then slapped it into his hand. "Oww! What was that for? You already slapped me for what I did!"

"You could have just asked me to hide it for you! Why did you have to grope me?!" she demanded.

"Because the security camera doesn't see my desk. So it didn't see me make a copy of the card. It also didn't see me handing you a memory card and explaining things to you. It saw me grope you and then it saw you slap me. So when the military eventually go through it to check, that's what they'll see. They'll think I'm an asshole sure but they won't be able to prove I made a copy of that card."

"Why all the James Bond shit?"

"Because I was honestly expecting them to come to the office and go through all the computers to make sure they had everything. But they didn't go that far. They just sent an officer to intimidate us. Which in itself tells me exactly what I needed to know when I started this little experiment. The government, the military, they know something we don't. But they don't think we know enough to cause a problem for them. But we actually do."

"You mean Ikaros?"

"Exactly. I don't think they know about her."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Because we aren't being tailed. They think they're done with us. Which is perfect. Once they leave here it'll all be done with and we can work in peace and secrecy. But we still have to take precautions to make sure nobody unfriendly knows about Ikaros."

"So what are you going to do with her?"

"I have no idea. I'm just playing it by ear right now. Between the Yakuza, a mad scientist, and a super advanced angel robot I'm way out of my depth. But there is one thing I wanted to ask you about."

"Oh? What's that?"

"Your lack of reaction to Ikaros. You just took that picture of us. You haven't freaked out about her yet."

"Neither have you. Besides grumbling about the inconvenience she causes you," retorted Sarah.

Chris turned his head towards her lazily, "I've seen enough shit in my life that I don't freak out about much. What's your excuse?"

"I don't honestly know. I just feel comfortable around her. Like there's nothing strange or abnormal about her. I can't explain it really."

"Well. I'm glad you feel that way. Because I want you to help Sugata try to figure her out. Like I said, I'm way out of my depth here. You're into science and technology and I trust you a hell of a lot more than I trust him. Especially around her."

"Getting protective of her I see," said Sarah with a smirk.

"For whatever reason, someone entrusted her to me. Until I know who that is and why they picked me I'm just going with the flow."

"And when you find out?"

"I'll either thank them or punch them in the face. Maybe both. Depends on how things work out. But one thing that won't happen is that they won't be disappointed with how I treat Ikaros," said Chris with a steeled voice.

"How about some music?" asked Sarah while turning on the radio.

"Yeah. Good call."

Sarah handed him her phone. "Pick something good from my library."

Chris took her phone and started going through her music. "You know I could just delete all the objectionable pictures you have of me."

"You could yes. But you're not the only one with hidden backups!"

"You are pure evil. You know that don't you?"

"Yes I do!" she answered proudly.

* * *

Sarah ripped some paper out of Sugata's hands and tore it up before throwing it all over him in frustration. "I thought Asians were suppose to be smarter than us white people! Who the hell taught you to do math? A hamster?!"

Sugata glared back at Sarah with genuine anger in his otherwise generally expressionless face. "Excuse me! I got my degree from Caltech!"

"Oh. I'm so sorry," she said in a sincerely apologetic tone which put a smug look on Sugata's face, "I didn't realize you were special needs. Alright, I'll teach you how to calculate g-forces and I'll even draw you pictures," she concluded which made Sugata's face turn red, his fists balled up, and his shoulders trembled.

Mikako stood beside Chris and watched the two argue with increasing intensity. "What's their problem?"

Chris shrugged his shoulders, "Sarah went to MIT, and Sugata went to Caltech. Some animosity there I think."

"I also went to Caltech..." muttered Mikako.

Chris raised his eyebrow at Mikako, "Am I the only ignoramus here? What did you study at Caltech, you don't strike me as the science type."

" _Political_ Science. If that counts. What about you? You were an officer so you've obviously been to college."

"International Relations and Journalism at NYU."

"Ahh, so that's how you ended up in the news business."

"Part of it anyway. I think I'll see how Ikaros is doing. Maybe you should keep an eye on those two. Before this degenerates into science pranks, or hacks, or whatever goes on between MIT and Caltech."

Mikako walked away towards Sugata and Sarah while Chris went into the tent. He found Ikaros there solving some kind of puzzle he couldn't understand. "Hey Ikaros. How are you?"

"I am well master," she answered monotonously.

"I'm sorry I had to leave you here all day but I needed to cause a little trouble at work and I needed to know you were safe. So what have you been doing all day?"

"Solving puzzles."

"Is that fun for you?"

Ikaros put down her pen and looked up at Chris with curious eyes, "Fun? What is fun?"

"Heh... That's not an easy question to answer. Fun is something you have when you're doing something you enjoy. Something that gives you pleasure."

"My purpose to give that to my master. But I don't have a concept of it for myself."

Chris shook his head and looked around the tent, his eyebrow twitched when he saw something sitting in the corner. It was a brand new acoustic guitar which he went and picked up. "Heh. I didn't know Sugata could play. Come on Ikaros. It's time for you to develop a concept of fun."

Chris took Ikaros by the hand and pulled her up to make her follow him out of the tent. "Hey Sugata. Do you actually play this?" he asked while holding up the guitar.

"I used to. But not on that one. I was conducting tests on that card Ikaros used to clean your apartment. Trying to determine its exact capabilities. It created that Guitar."

"No shit?" said Chris while sitting down in one of the folding chairs and testing to see if the instrument was in tune.

"Do you play?" asked Mikako.

"Back in High School and college I played a lot. Haven't touched a guitar since then so I'm a little rusty... but... Come sing it with me Sarah, I know you know the words!" he exclaimed happily before he started strumming the country tune.

 _"We got married in a fever, hotter than a pepper sprout. We've been talkin' 'bout Jackson..."_ they sang together.

 _"...Ever since the fire went out. I'm goin' to Jackson. I'm gonna mess around. Yeah, I'm goin' to Jackson. Look out Jackson town."_ he sang on his own.

Sarah took over and sang on her own in her best June Carter impression. _"Well, go on down to Jackson; go ahead and wreck your health. Go play your hand you big-talkin' man, make a big fool of yourself. You're goin' to Jackson; go comb your hair!"_

 _"Honey, I'm gonna snowball Jackson."_ said Chris in his own Johnny Cash impression.

 _"See if I care."_ she answered him back with a grin.

 _"When I breeze into that city, people gonna stoop and bow."_

 _"Hah!"_ exclaimed Sarah while lightly smacking Chris upside the head.

 _"All them women gonna make me, teach 'em what they don't know how. I'm goin' to Jackson. You turn-a loose-a my coat. 'Cos I'm goin' to Jackson."_

 _"Goodbye, that's all she wrote."_ sang Sarah. _"But they'll laugh at you in Jackson, and I'll be dancin' on a Pony Keg. They'll lead you 'round town like a scalded hound. With your tail tucked between your legs. You're goin' to Jackson, you big-talkin' man. And I'll be waitin' in Jackson, behind my Jaypan Fan!"_ she emoted fanning herself with the last line.

The two of them then proceeded to the final chorus, _"Well now, we got married in a fever, hotter than a pepper sprout. We've been talkin' 'bout Jackson, ever since the fire went out. I'm goin' to Jackson, and that's a fact. Yeah, we're goin' to Jackson, ain't never comin' back."_

Mikako clapped her hands and then rubbed her ears, "I hope you two are good at your day jobs, because you shouldn't quit them. Johnny Cash and June Carter are probably spinning in their graves right now."

Chris shrugged, "As long as you're having fun it doesn't matter if you're good or not," Chris then turned his gaze to Ikaros and smiled at her, "This is an example of fun. So how did it make you feel?"

Ikaros put a hand over her chest and closed her eyes. "I'm not sure master. I've never experienced this sensation before."

"Does it feel good, or does it feel bad?" asked Sarah with a smile.

Ikaros looked up at Sarah and met her eyes, "I think it feels... good."

"Alright then. Enough science for today. Instead let's all have a good time! Lemmie think here... Can't remember what else I know how to play..."

Chris started strumming randomly until a certain set of notes reminded him of something and he started to play for them again.

Sarah smiled brightly at Chris while he played the guitar. Mikako stepped over beside her and with a curious glance, "I realize we only just met, but, what's with you?"

"I just haven't seen him like this since I first met him. It's a nice change of pace."


	6. Chapter 6

**Apology:** To the few of out there who read this story, I'm sorry for not updating this in so damn long. But my real life leaves my time very limited. I'd like to give a shout out to Knighte for the PM which made me realize that some people are actually reading this and deserve to get more story out of me. Since I have some free time nowadays, and I still have my notes and had this chapter half done, I finished it up, pushed it out, and I'm already working on the next chapter.

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

Chris, Sarah and Ikaros returned to their apartment building that evening and bid each other good night in the hall before going to their respective apartments. But Chris noticed immediately that his door was slightly ajar, he called out to Sarah in a loud whisper and shoved Ikaros towards her and gestured for them to go into her apartment.

He went into his photography bag and pulled out a taser while gently pushing open the door and stepping into his apartment. There he reached over to flip the light switch and found his apartment in an even worse state of disorder than before Ikaros arrived. "Fuck my life..." he groaned to himself.

"Chris, what's wrong? You're scaring me what happe-"

"Damn it Sarah. I told you to go inside your place... But whatever, it seems clear in here."

Sarah stepped into the apartment and looked around, "This seems clear to you?"

"Yes! Perfectly clear!" he exclaimed with indignation as he threw the taser across the apartment shattering it against the wall.

Sarah sighed and stepped up closer to Chris and put a hand on his shoulder. Much to her dismay, his happy demeanor was completely gone and he was headed right back to being his usual self.

Chris shook her off and started wandering his place looking for anything missing. He noticed his computer was on, and all of his notebooks, newspaper articles, and spare memory cards were gone. "The military did this. Ransacked the place. Probably copied over everything on my computer and took whatever they thought was suspect."

"Anything on your computer to worry about?"

"No. But if they're into Dakota Skye or Lexi Belle they totally lucked out with my porn. They've also got about a hundred gigs of decent music and a metric shit ton of comic book scans. Including rare issues."

"Is it bad that I know who those porn stars are?" wondered Sarah while looking around through the mess.

"No it just means you have good taste. Worst thing they can slap me with is illegally downloading music, comic books, and porn once they're done throwing up."

"Why would they be throwing up?" asked Sarah.

"Two girls one cup is in there. It was a trap I set for you. I named the file 'Sarah in the shower' just in case you ever decided to go through my porn."

"Why would you think I would go through your smut?"

"You took a picture of my ass and posted it to Twitter. Who knows what else you're capable of?"

"Alright... I get it... Do you want me to apologize for that for the millionth time?"

Chris didn't answer he just walked into the bedroom where he found Ikaros looking around curiously. She had something in her hand which made Chris' heart skip a beat when he realized what it was. "Ikaros... Listen to me. I want you to give that to me, right now," he said with his hand held out.

Ikaros looked at him blankly but complied and placed a pistol in his waiting hand. Chris immediately sighed with relief before ejecting the magazine and checking the chamber to ensure it was clear. "Chris... Why the fuck do you have a gun in your house?!" scolded Sarah.

"This isn't just a gun. It's Colt 1911 which is a perfect recreation I made of the ones used by Frank Castle in the 2004 Punisher movie."

"You and your fucking obsession with comic books! Get an air soft! Why do you have to have an actual fucking gun in your house?!"

"Well... _Normally,_ this thing is under lock and key in the case and never comes out unless I'm at the shooting range." Chris picked up the protective hard case of his handgun and showed it to Sarah, gesturing to the broken lock on it. "But I guess those fuckers decided to take a look and messed with it. Why the fuck professionals would load a gun then leave it on the floor like this... That's really what's infuriating."

"No... What's infuriating is that you even have a gun in the first place! Get rid of that stupid thing!"

Chris groaned in irritation, "What the hell does it matter to you if I have a gun or not?"

"Because the first time I found out about it was because Ikaros was holding it! It's irresponsible for you to keep a gun in your house now!"

"That... Is a very good point. I'll go sell it tomorrow. Will that make you happy?"

"Yes. Very much! Anyway. You wanna crash on my couch tonight? I'll help you clean this up tomorrow."

"Naa. It's cool Sarah. Maybe you should just keep Ikaros with you tonight, there isn't really anywhere for her to sleep anyway," said Chris while dropping himself down on his bed and tucking the gun under his pillow.

"Master. I am not actually programmed with any sort of sleep function. If you desire it, I could clean your home for you again?"

"You don't sleep? I envy you. But no. I don't want you to clean the apartment like that again. We'll do it the old fashioned way tomorrow," said Chris.

"I don't understand. Why not?" asked Ikaros.

"Because I've been lazy enough this past year and doing the cleaning properly. Manually. Myself. With my own hands is just better."

"I still don't understand master. Why is it better?"

"I'll explain it to you tomorrow. Right now. I'm going to sleep. If you want to stay with Sarah tonight. Feel free. If not. Feel free to use my computer or... Do whatever you want to do."

"Yes master."

"Alright. Good night Chris."

"Good night Sarah."

* * *

 _Christopher found himself laying in a grassy field with the sun on his face. His head was resting in a woman's lap. Everything about the environment was familiar and welcoming to him so he allowed himself to smile contentedly._

 _"Your Angel, how is she?"_

 _"Ikaros? I don't honestly know what to make of her. I don't know what to do with her. Everything is just such a mess right now."_

 _"Please take good care of her Chris. I beg of you."_

 _Chris looked up at the woman, her face was obscured by her long blue hair and the sun sitting just behind her, "No matter what happens, you can be sure I'll do that much at least. I mean. I don't dislike her or anything. I just-"_

 _Suddenly the sky itself seemed to open up behind her and suck the woman up into it._

 _"Please be careful!" she yelled down to him as the sky pulled her up to it._

 _Chris tried to reach out and grab her in a panic to keep her there but his body was just too slow._

* * *

"No! No! Come back!" yelled Chris as he quickly sat up in his bed and reached up to the roof of his bedroom. He then sighed in frustration. "That dream again..."

"Good morning. Master," Ikaros said to him from beside the mattress.

Chris slowly turned his head towards Ikaros and looked at her with his groggy eyes. "Good morning Ikaros... What are you doing in here?"

"I've been waiting for you to awaken master," she answered in her emotionless voice.

"You didn't go with Sarah last night?"

"Correct."

"You didn't find something to entertain yourself with while I was sleeping?"

Ikaros stared at him blankly.

"Right... So you just sat there and watched me sleep? Any reason why?"

"You said I should do whatever I wanted master. I wanted to stay by your side."

Chris sighed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "That's sweet and all... But it's improper. You're a woman. You shouldn't be sitting by a man's bed and watching him sleep like this."

"I don't understand," she answered plainly.

"No. I don't suppose you would. And I'm not sure how to explain it to you," Chris reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He hadn't even bothered to undress before going to sleep. He checked the time and groaned in annoyance. "It's still early... But I don't want to go back to sleep. I'm going to go take a shower. Just wait for me in the living room. I'm sure Sarah's going to bring us breakfast soon."

"Yes master."

* * *

Chris, Sarah and Ikaros sat around his dining table and had their breakfast together in a comfortable silence. But Chris eventually broke the silence when he realized Sarah was still half asleep. "You know, if you're tired, you could just go back to sleep. You didn't have to wake up and make us breakfast."

"If I don't who will? You'd probably just end up taking Ikaros to McDonald's for the worst possible breakfast in existence," she said groggily.

"There's nothing wrong with McD's for breakfast. You can even get it at any time of day now," answered Chris.

"Yeah. I'm sure your big belly has nothing at all to do with subsisting on fast food and energy drinks for the past year..." she said and then yawned loudly.

"Damn it woman! I'm getting sleepy just looking at you. Your counter had no bite to it at all. Eat up and go back to sleep!"

"Fuck you Chris. I've done more on less sleep than this!"

"Why didn't you sleep? I mean, you went to bed like right after I did, didn't you? So why do you look like an extra in a zombie flick?"

Sarah put down her utensils and took a sip of her coffee. "I really don't know. I went to sleep, but when my alarm went off it was like I got no sleep at all. Guess I just had a restless night."

"That's not like you. I still think you should go back to sleep and get some rest. But if you don't, what would you like to do today?"

Sarah looked around at the state of Chris' apartment. "I said I'd help you get this mess cleaned up today. So I will."

Chris nodded, "Alright then. We'll start with that. After we're done I'll treat you both to lunch."

"Don't forget you promised to sell that stupid gun... Yes. I remember that," said Sarah with a death glare.

"Awww... But mom..."

Sarah continued to glare at him. "Do we have to go over this again?" she said while gesturing to Ikaros. "And don't give me any second amendment bullshit! Besides. When was the last time you actually went to a shooting range? And answer me honestly!"

"Six months ago..."

"Exactly! So what the hell do you need a weapon for?"

"It's not a weapon Sarah. It's a toy. Don't mix the two up. A weapon is tool for war, a weapon is meant to kill and has no other purpose."

Sarah noticed out of the corner of her eye, Ikaros looked like she was in pain. She was so emotionless and expressionless that it was impossible not to notice such a change in her overall demeanor.

"A toy like mine is meant for recreation. It's for fun and nothing else. I had fun building it, I had fun shooting it. At paper targets. A weapon is not something you keep for fun. I would never keep a weapon in my home. That's not what my gun was for."

"Alright. I get it Chris. But you still can't keep it," she said before sipping more coffee, making a mental note to discuss this with Ikaros later.

"I already said I would get rid of it. But this raises another question. When did you become my wife, lord, and master that you can start dictating what I can and can't have in my own home?"

"Pretty much the day you stopped giving a damn about your own life and I had to take over making sure you ate, slept, and got enough work done to avoid getting fired."

"Touché..." said Chris while he stood up and put his plates in the sink. He then went over to Sarah, put both hands on her shoulders and bent down to kiss the top of her head. "You're an angel. One day I'll find a way to properly show my appreciation."

Sarah blushed hard at his bold gesture. "What the hell?! Who are you and what have you done with Chris?!" she asked incredulously.

"I'm headed out to the gun store now. I won't be long. So just do whatever you want until I get back."

* * *

Ikaros carefully put away a stack of papers into the desk and then turned to Sarah who was busy putting away all the cutlery. "Miss Sarah?"

"Just call me Sarah. No need for the 'miss' it makes me feel old."

"Why did master stop caring about his life?"

Sarah put the last few items away and took a deep breath, "That is a very hard question to answer. It wasn't any one thing that made him give up. It was a lot of things that just came on too fast for him to deal with. Everyone has a breaking point. He just reached his. He made a decision to join the Army and become a soldier. He was good at it, very good. But when he left the service, things started to fall apart for him. Kathy, our boss, threw him a life line and put him to work,

"He was good at his job. He was one of the best, everyone agreed he was going to have an amazing career. But then things happened. First his mother passed away. Then his father shortly after. Then the owners of our newspaper decided they were unhappy with things he was investigating. He was 'upsetting the establishment' but they couldn't fire him because of how bad it would look. So they started giving him really horrible assignments to cover that just destroyed his credibility as a reporter at a time when he needed to build it up. After that he just felt like he had nothing to work for. Nothing to strive for. And ultimately, nothing to live for."

Ikaros looked at her blankly and Sarah just smiled at her.

"It's nice that you care. But. I'm not sure you're really able to understand how hard these things affected him, or even why they're significant at all. If there's one take away from this explanation, it's that Christopher Murrow believes the only thing he was ever really good at was hurting people. Our society just didn't reward him for anything else. It's just a sad truth. So if you want to help him at all. Just be around. Just be yourself. Just the fact that you need him, I hope, will be enough to show him that there are things worth living for if he just opens his eyes and looks around. That you'll help him to understand that he's good at something other than killing."

Ikaros looked down at the floor and slowly nodded.

"And I think you, probably more than I, can understand what that must feel like."

Ikaros looked up at Sarah with a confused expression.

"Yeah. Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me. Though don't assume Chris is an idiot and won't eventually come to the same conclusion I did. As soon as I saw Sugata's data I knew. You weren't built to be a pet, or a servant, or anything of the sort."

"Master said he would never keep a weapon in his home... If he finds out he-"

Sarah cut her off by placing her hands on her shoulders and giving them a gentle squeeze. "Ikaros. His argument had one fatal flaw in it that you need to recognize. His gun was a weapon. It was designed to be a weapon. But he didn't think of it as a weapon, and he didn't use it as a weapon. The difference between you and that gun is that you can actually think for yourself. Make your own decisions. You have high reasoning and complex problem solving skills. You're fully capable of independent thinking. The fact that you call yourself something you're not is proof of that. You made a decision not to tell him something about yourself. His gun can't do that. His gun is what he makes it. You, are what you make yourself. Don't ever let anyone tell you anything different."

"I am what I make myself?" she wondered.

"Exactly."

"But what does Master want me to be?"

"That's not how he thinks. He doesn't want you to be anything but yourself. He wants you to be happy."

"My purpose is to serve my master. I was not built to seek my own happiness. But to make him happy."

"I don't think that's true Ikaros. I look at things rationally. I base my conclusions on evidence. And the evidence tells me that if your only purpose was serve and obey, nobody would have ever entrusted you to Christopher Murrow of all people. Honestly. I feel it in my gut. I feel it so surely that I would bet my life on it. Whomever sent you to Chris, did it because they knew beyond all doubt that the two of you together would find your true purposes."

"How can you be so certain?" asked Ikaros.

Sarah smiled sincerely at the angeloid. "Because if I were them. I would have done exactly the same thing. As long as you keep an open mind. You'll come to the same conclusion. For now though. If you want to make him happy. Let's start by turning this pig-sty he lives in into an actual home. Use your card thing."

"But master said-"

"Chris says a lot of things. Yes he'll be a little upset that we cheated. But when he gets over it he'll realize that it doesn't matter how it gets done, just as long as it does get done."

Ikaros pulled out her transport card and considered Sarah's words for a long moment before she put the card away again. "No. Master said he did not want me to use the card. I must respect that."

Sarah raised an eyebrow at that. "Is that because he ordered you not to and you're compelled to obey. Or because you think he had a good reason for what he said and you trust his judgment?"

The angeloid's eyes shifted from left to right and then back and forth for a few moments. "I am uncertain..."

"Uncertain... I suppose that's good enough. But one thing I do want you to do is to question everything. You didn't tell him what you really are because you didn't want to be that thing for whatever reason. You wanted to be what you said you are. That shows me you're capable of self determination. So I want you to always exercise that ability. I want you to decide for yourself what you will and will not do. But more than that, I want you to understand why you're making the decisions you make. Do you understand?"

"I will try my best," said a nodding Ikaros.

"That's all I ask. Now. Why don't we start putting his cloths away?" she said while gesturing towards the bedroom and walking towards it.

* * *

Chris pulled up to the front of the gun store on his motorcycle and flipped up the visor on his helmet. The first thing he saw outside the door were a couple of Asian men in dark suits waiting outside and looking out for trouble. It could only mean one thing... Well, actually it meant two things. First that his bike would be safe there and he wouldn't have to lock up the wheels. And Mikako was probably inside shopping.

He got into the store with no problem, then he saw that she had a couple more goons standing around keeping a look out as she set down whatever rifle she was looking at and waved at Chris excitedly.

"Chris! Good morning! What brings you here?"

Chris rolled his eyes and walked up to her and looked over at the nervous storekeeper and then back to Mikako. "I'm looking to sell a gun. I see you're looking to buy. So maybe you'll be interested in a decent handgun?" Chris then reached into the back of his pants and pulled out his pistol. "If I have to part with my pony, I'd like to know it's going to a good home with someone who'll love it like I do."

Mikako looked at the pistol and took it from his hands, she expertly performed a function check on it and even knew how to assess the quality of its construction. To his surprise she even checked to make sure he didn't put an idiot scratch on it which had him nodding with an impressed look on his face.

"I see you know your way around a 1911."

"This isn't just a 1911 Chris. I like what you've done with it. When that movie came out I watched it at least a hundred times. Sugata was so sick of the soundtrack. I'll give you two thousand dollars for it!" she said excitedly.

Chris choked on that. "That's way too much. I can't rip you off like that. Tell you what. Why don't you just take it? Consider it a thank you present."

"Are you sure?" she asked with skeptical eyes.

Chris pushed the pistol towards her and took the magazine out of his pocket and handed it to her as well. "It's yours now. Just look after it and give it the love and care it deserves."

"I will. Thank you Chris. This means a lot."

"One Punisher fan to another," said Chris with a wink. "So what else were you looking at here?"

"Oh, I'm just looking for something fun to play with. I like shooting guns," she said while picking up an AR-15.

"Yeah. As unpatriotic as this will sound, that thing is a piece of shit. You don't want it," said Chris.

"Hey son! There's nothing wrong with the AR. I'm so sick of internet commandos coming into this shop and bashing everything with anec-"

Chris gave the man a stern look that silenced him while he picked up the rifle and proceeded to fieldstrip it without even looking at it. "The M16, AR15, and M4 all have the same flaws. They hate dirt. And guns get dirty after you fire them. They get dirty from their environments. I've seen a lot of these malfunction during actual firefights. Anything that malfunctions when you need to rely on it is a piece of shit that nobody should invest a single cent into," he explained while reassembling the rifle and function checking it. He then handed it out to the storekeeper and pointed to the AK-47. "Give her that one."

"Kalashnikov?" asked Mikako with a raised eyebrow while she took the rifle and held it. "It's a lot heavier than it looks..."

Chris took the rifle and checked its weight and construction. "That's because the receiver on this one is milled instead of stamped. But that's not a bad thing. Unless the weight is an issue for you. Both methods of production are good. Every chance we got, we'd ditch our own guns and pick up one of these. Doesn't matter if they're full of water, full of sand, or full of shit. They will fire. They will not jam. They're not very accurate. But they will work without fail. They're idiot proof to the point that a child could pick it up, use it, and maintain it. And they _do_. This design created in the late 40's is so good that even in the new millennium, nobody seems to be able to match or exceed it. An AK-47 was made in 1949, the year my father was born, that's still kicking ass somewhere in the world. Meanwhile we've gone through the M1 Garand, the M14, the M16, and all its bastards, and we're still looking for a new gun."

"You seem to know your stuff Chris. You're very passionate about this," she said with a bright smile.

"Passionate? I don't know. I just hate people who think that just because it's American it must be good. It's not true at all."

"Well. I'm not looking for something to take to war Chris. I'm looking for something fun to shoot on weekends," she explained.

"If you want an assault rifle. This is the way to go. They're low maintenance and they'll outlive you. If you want something that just looks cool..." Chris said while looking around the shop. He then pointed up at another assault rifle and gestured for the shopkeeper to bring it to him.

"The Tavor. Standard issue for the IDF. I haven't had much experience with it except for a few shots at the firing range. But it's light, comfortable, and bullpups always look cool. You'll already be turning heads with your good looks, but this rifle will turn a few more."

Mikako picked up the rifle from Chris and examined it carefully, she felt the weight, tested it against her shoulder in the firing position. "I'll take it!" she quickly concluded.

The shop keeper nodded while taking the rifle back from her, "Alright ma'am. We just need you to fill out some paper work for a background check and then we need to-"

"I thought this country guaranteed the right of everyone to have a gun?" she protested.

"We do ma'am. But there are laws in this state which we have to follow, even if we disagree with them. I'll need some ID to start the paper work."

Mikako fumbled around in her purse for a moment and then pulled Chris aside and away from the shop keeper. In a hushed voice she pleaded with him, "Buy it for me! Please!"

"Oh fuck no! You're hot, but you're not _that_ hot. Why the hell do you need me to buy it for you anyway?"

Mikako lowered her voice even further, "I'm not a citizen... And I'm _not_ going to pass any kind of background check..."

"Why did I already know that?" wondered Chris aloud.

"Please! I really want it!" she pleaded.

"If you do something stupid with that thing it's my ass that'll be on the line as much as yours!" he protested in a hushed voice.

"Why would you think I would do something like that to you?!" she asked him.

"How would I know? I barely even know you woman!"

"But you trust me with your Colt!"

Chris smacked his face with his palm. " _Fuck_... This is all Sarah's fault... I know I'm going to regret this..."

* * *

Chris came out of the store with a very happy Mikako stuck to his arm. "Thank you so much Chris! I really appreciate it!"

"You can show me your appreciation by paying my legal fees when my ass gets locked up for this. I would also appreciate it if you would have your goons put the word out that my asshole is marked 'exit only' because I don't feel like being fucked in the showers."

"Don't be so pessimistic. I won't betray your trust."

Chris turned his head to Mikako and looked down into her eyes. She seemed sincere enough about that but she still managed to manipulate him fairly easily. Before Chris could say anything he heard the sound of tires screeching loudly which drew his attention. There was an old model car rushing down the street, the rear window rolled down and someone stuck a gun out of it. His eyes widened and dove for the ground and pulled Mikako down with him as the car drove by spraying bullets all over the store front and the bodyguards she brought with her who tried to shoot back but were gunned down.

Chris pulled out the Colt from the back of Mikako's pants and chambered a round. He told her to stay down as he returned fired on the car as it came to stop which made the driver press down on the gas and speed off instead of stopping to finish the job on them.

"Mika! Talk to me! Are you alright?" he didn't wait for her answer though as he was already checking her for wounds.

"I'm fine Chris. Really," she answered without hesitation or even fear in her voice.

It was obvious to him this wasn't the first time she'd been shot at, and given her choice of career, it probably wouldn't be the last.

"Sorry... Doesn't look like your guys made it," he said while looking around at the four dead bodyguards bleeding all over the sidewalk.

Mikako slowly sat up and looked around. "Damn it... When I find out who did this I'll-"

"It's not the time Mika! Let the cops deal with this. We need to get you out of here before they find their balls and try again! Come on!" he said while pulling her up by the hand towards his bike where he made her put on his helmet and quickly sped off.

* * *

"So let me see if I have this straight... You went down there to sell your gun. But instead you ended up giving your gun away to Mikako as a present. You bought her an assault rifle... And then you got into a firefight in the middle of the street. Is that more or less what happened?" asked Sarah while staring down at Chris who was chugging down a Red Bull on his couch.

"That's pretty much what happened yes," answered Mikako for him.

Chris crushed the can in his hand and threw it across the room into the garbage. "It's exactly what happened," he answered with fury in his otherwise soft voice.

"Do I need to make you a list of all the things you did wrong to get into this situation?" asked Sarah with her arms folded under her large breasts.

"The only thing I did wrong, was let her manipulate me into buying that gun for her. Getting shot at had nothing to do with that. Or anything else I did. That's all on her. But those bastards shot at me too and I don't appreciate that. And like it or not Mikako and Sugata, for all their flaws, have been good to me, and you, and Ikaros."

"This better not be going where I think it's going Chris..."

"If you think I'm going to help her find the scum that tried to murder her, and me just now. Yes. That's exactly where this is going."

Mikako shook her head, "No Chris. You don't have to get involved in this anymore than you already have. I have professionals who can deal with this."

Chris shook his head in return, "You've been in this city for what... Three months now? You've taken over the top tier. But do you have connections that can lead you straight to the shooters? Or are you just going to have your guys tear this city up until they find out who did this? Or are you going to let me come with you, and we can get this taken care of, today."

Mikako considered it and shrugged, "One of the first things you said to me was that you didn't want to know about any of my other affairs, and you didn't want to be involved in any of my other affairs. Now you want to get involved in my affairs. Are you sure about this?"

Sarah glared down at Chris. "Don't you think you've been through enough in the last two days? Why do you want to just rush off into this? Just for revenge?! Or is this something deeper?"

Chris looked up at Sarah with a curious look in his eyes, "What do you mean?"

"The more shit hits the fan, the more alive you seem to be. I think that's what this is about. This is about your need for danger or something stupid like that!"

Chris sighed and sat back in his sofa while he considered Sarah's words. "You might be right. The truth is, as much as I hate everything that's happening. It does have me feeling alive again. You once said to me that if you want to understand something, you have to break it down to its simplest elements. In this case, the fact of the matter is, I need her. In this situation I'm pretty short on people with power I can trust to keep Ikaros a secret and protect her, and you, and me. I can't trust the police. I sure as fuck can't trust the military. At least Mikako actually wants to earn my trust. If nothing else, when she says that to me I see the sincerity in her eyes. Well. I'd like to give her the chance to earn my trust. So yeah. I'm not gonna let her get killed. And I'm certainly not gonna let anyone get away with shooting at me. So yes. I'm going to help her."

Sarah looked at Mikako and locked eyes with her, "Promise me one thing. Don't get him into a hole he can't get out of."

Mikako smiled at Sarah and then gestured toward Ikaros, "I think he's already there. The only promise I can give you which I can actually keep is that I won't betray any of you. For any price. I didn't survive in this business for as long as I have by forgetting who my friends are. That's not how my father runs his business, and it's not how I'll do mine."

Sarah looked deep into her eyes and then groaned in frustration, "Damn it... I see why Chris wants to believe you. Fine... I'll trust you for now. If Chris comes back home in one piece I'll trust you more."

Chris stood up and smiled at Sarah. "This won't take very long. Just look after Ikaros for me alright?"

"Master..."

Chris looked over at Ikaros while she held out a card to him. "Take this and use it if you need it."

Chris shrugged and took it from her, "How do I use it?"

"Just tell it your wish and it will grant it," she answered.

"So if I say something like... I wish Sarah was topless right now It'll- What... The... Actual... Fuck?!"

The card started glowing and Sarah's shirt and bra ripped themselves off her body. Chris' eyes widened while Mikako started snickering. "Oh. So you're a closeted pervert?"

"Nothing closeted about my perversions..." he said while Sarah covered herself with her arms.

"Chris... I'm going to scoop out your eyeballs with spoon if you don't make this stop!"

"Ikaros? Can I undo this now?"

Ikaros nodded. "Wish for it."

Chris nodded, "I wish Sarah's cloths would fix themselves."

The cloths repaired themselves on the floor and then she knelt down. "Turn around you fucking perv!" she yelled.

"How many times do I have to tell you this Sarah? I am immune to your magnificent maguffies!"

"You obviously think about my breasts enough to come up with a new word for them every time you mention them!"

"It could just be that the only thing more impressive than your bodacious fun bags is my huge... monstrous... throbbing-"

 **"CHRIS!"**

"Thesaurus?" he said while ducking under the blunt object she threw at him.

 **"GET OUT ALREADY!"**

"You do know I live here right?"

 **"OUT!"**

Mikako was in hysterics while she pulled Chris away with her laughing all the way to the door. "Oh you people entertain me like nothing else ever could..." she finally said while Chris shut the door behind him.

* * *

Chris drove the SUV with Mikako in the passenger seat and two of her men in the back seats with matching MP5s at the ready. Mikako was closely examining her new Colt 1911 with a bright smile.

"You happen to have a gun I could use?"

Mikako opened up the glove compartment and pulled out a Beretta M9 which she then handed to Chris once they stopped at a traffic light. Chris performed the mandatory checks on the gun before replacing the magazine. Then he set the safety and tucked the pistol into the front of his pants.

"If you want the Punisher back, just ask."

Chris shook his head, "Naa, it suits you better than me. Besides, I promised Sarah I'd get rid of it. So you keep it."

Chris drove up the street for another few kilometers before he pulled over in front of a store where there was a group of young people sitting around smoking cigarettes. He opened the window and looked one of them in the eyes. He was a young black man in his early twenties, wearing a suit and a tie. The group with him were all mixed races and all well dressed as well. After a moment of recognition he walked up to the side of the car with a swagger in his step and a bright smile.

"Hey Murrow! Long time no see man. Looking for a little somethin' to take the edge off or are you fishing for another story for the paper?"

"Neither. But that's a nice suit. Business must be good,"

"Hugo Boss man. Business has been damn good since your girlfriend there took down all the big players in town. So what do ya need man?"

"You heard about the drive by earlier today?"

"Fuck man... Talking about shootings in this town is like talking about the weather. If you're looking for a headline that's pretty weak newsboy. But I do got a scoop on this crazy guy who ran around the mall in his birthday suit yesterday."

"Don't fuck me around right now. I'm not in the mood for it. These bastards tried to do me and my friend here," answered Chris with a harsh voice while gesturing to Mikako.

"Don't give me that shit bro. You know how this goes. You wanna know something I know, you gotta grease my palms. Know what I'm sayin'?"

"Alright. You tell me what I wanna know and I won't beat your ass like a runaway slave in front of your little girlfriends. How's that?"

"What the fuck did you just say to me bitch?!" he yelled and then started to turn around and call over his men but Chris reached out and grabbed him by the tie and pulled him into the car to trap his head in window which he rolled up to trap and choke him. His friends stood up and reached for their guns but the back window opened and the men in the back seat aimed their weapons at them and they put their hands up in surrender.

"You comfy there? Very ironic that your recent business success earned you the tie that's now got you into this little predicament. Why don't we go for a little ride and talk this out," said Chris while putting the SUV into gear and then let it roll up the street. The man in the window had to move his hand to the roof of the SUV to grab onto the rails and put his feet up on the footsteps to keep from having his body snap off his head.

"Fuck you Murrow! Lemmie outta here!" he tried to yell but could barely get his voice out.

"Tell me who ordered the drive by."

"Fuck you!"

"There's a lady present. Mind your language," said Chris while stepping on the gas.

Mikako crossed her legs and leaned back against the door to watch with a smile on her face.

"I'm gonna fuck you up man! Your life is over! I'll have everyone in this town after your ass!"

Chris looked over at Mikako. "You got any music to play here?"

Mikako shrugged and turned on the stereo which started blaring some J-pop which had Chris head banging. "I love this music!"

"Fine! Fuck you! I'll tell you!"

"What's that? I can't hear you!"

"The Russians man! It was the fucking Russians! They put the hit out on your girl!"

"Have you been using bullshit for tooth paste? Because you stink."

"It ain't no shit! It's true! They did it! They got a place downtown. A club-"

"Yeah I know it. If I find out your lying to me I'll be back, and I'll make Abu Ghraib look like day care before I'm through with you," said Chris while lowering the window to let him fall out before speeding up to drive away.

Mikako leaned over and put her elbow down on the center arm rest and smiled up at Chris. "If only I wasn't engaged already. You make me so wet..." she said to him in a lustful voice.

"You are a sadist... You know that?" he asked while looking her in the eyes.

"Yes I am. But is it bad that I can name every movie you just ripped off?"

"No. It just means you have good taste," he answered while looking ahead at the road.

"It was badass while also being a little stupid with a total lack of originality. But it was good."

"Yeah. But the situation was set up perfectly for it, and it worked."

"You do know he'll retaliate for that right?"

"Not unless he has a death wish. He knows damn well who you are and after I finish making Solyanka out of these Russians he won't ever think about fucking with me."

"You're very confident in that statement. There's four of us, and however many of them. I'll call in some more men. Where are we going exactly?"

"Wrong. I'm going in alone. You're staying here," Chris said as if it should have been obvious.

"Oh? That's very arrogant of you. Normally that's a trait I find attractive. But that's a little too extreme."

"Call it whatever you want. I'm still going to deal with this on my own. They'll shoot you on sight. But they don't know me."

"What kind of a club do they have?"

"A pretty fancy night club. But it's a front for prostitution. Every girl in there is an import from mother Russia and pretty much every eastern European country."

"So I don't suppose if I offered you a better plan than just going in and shooting everyone that you won't change your mind about how to handle this?" asked Mikako with a smirk.

Chris bobbed his head along with his thoughts and pressed his lower lip into his upper for a long moment, "Probably not. But I'll hear you out..."

* * *

That evening, Chris returned home and found Sarah and Ikaros sitting on his couch. Sarah was talking animatedly to the Angeloid until they both looked to the door and welcomed him home.

Chris had a rolled up magazine or some such in his right hand, and with his left he pulled the transport card out of his back pocket as he walked over to the pair, he then held out the card to Ikaros with his two fingers. "Please take this back. Take it, and never, ever, give it back to me, or to anyone else. Keep this thing close to you at all times, and don't ever let anyone or anything take it from you. At all costs, we can't ever let this get into the wrong hands."

Ikaros nodded her head, "I understand, and I will comply, Master."

Sarah stood up as Ikaros took back the card. "Chris? Are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost!"

"Turn on the News..." he said while setting down the magazine on his dinner table and then walking off into his bedroom.

Sarah went over to pick up the magazine which was next to the TV remote, while turning on the TV she scanned the cover and found it as actually a Comic Book, first issue of The Punisher, and its cover was autographed with the name "Frank Castle."

With a bewildered expression she turned on the TV and widened her eyes at what she saw.

 _"...the popular night club became a scene of carnage this afternoon after what police are calling a vigilante went on a rampage and killed dozens of armed Russian Mobsters. CCTV footage shows the suspect, a look alike to Tom Jane from the 2004 Punisher movie, walking into the club and firing indiscriminately on everyone inside. Authorities have begun a city and state wide man hunt for the suspect."_

Sarah switched off the TV and set down the comic book. "Yeah... Ikaros... I agree. Never. Ever. Ever. Let that card out of your hands... He seriously actually used it to wish for The Punisher to deal with the people who shot at them?!"


End file.
